NINTENDO ° SEGA ° Sony ° PC * ARCADES ° CODES ° STRATEGIES °

/ Ww

NW

ar m. Rogue Squadron + Tomb a Es j Metal|Gear, Solid|-)Silhouette M

www.gameinformer.com $3.95 Canada $4.95 UK £2.50

August 1998 Vol. VIII * Issue 08 * #64

eee

20 ways to Annihi ale alien Trash

call pem up L.A., proving once more that the only good alien is a dead olei With a colossal arsenal of high-tech, all-new weapons and more Nukem attitude and humor than ever before, TIME TO KILL gives you MOre of what you crave More hard-core action! More exploration! More shooter mayhem! More of the King of Carnage!

PS geet ee HRI. AR E

Available in September at your local retailer. oo Order direct at store.gtinteractive.com or call 1- 800-610-GTIS

RATING PENDING

GT Interactive Software

Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for more info. CONTENT RATED BY

ESRB,

® www.gtinteractive.com

B jo ‘hue ©1996, 1997, 1998 3D Realms Entertainment. All rights reserved. Developed by n-Space, Inc. under sublicense from GT Interactive Software Corp. under Wis Entertainment. Published and distributed by GT Interactive Software Corp. GT is a trademark and the GT logo is a registered trademark of GT Interactive Software nd the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

TELIES BAP ek LG £I a SF oad E,

PlayStation

ST SPEEDBOAT RACING GAME.

A SURPRISINGLY

ation.com

9 your hat. And any othe ortant pieces of clothing www i. playst

ZERO,

Country Life’s Never Been So Addictin p.

Harvest Moon GB" and Legend of the River King GB’. Two unique role playing games for the Nintendo? Game Boy.

egend of the River King GB is the first and only game that combines the action of a fishing game

ith a dynamic RPG story for a unique game experi- ence. However, there’s a catch. Instead of fighting the usual bunch of monsters, you'll battle with 4 different species of fish. But this isn’t drowning a few worms for fun; you’re on a quest to save your ill sister. The only chance to save your sister is fo reel in the magical Guardian Fish. To land this whale of a fish, you'll have to travel the land selling your prized catches for money. Only after buying the best equipment and gaining expe- rience, will you be able to conquer this trophy catch.

With hours and hours of exciting game jdn iom you

ed!

play Legend of the River King, you'll be hoo

Nó64* Version Coming Soon

dike up with e Sun. Feed the chickens. Milk the cows: And, don't forget to go to the market. ..all

before breakfast.

The Super NES? classic Harvest Moon is now available for the Nintendo? Game Boy? with all of the charm of the original and many new surprises. Designed to reward hard work and smart decision making, Harvest Moon GB is a unique blend of a role playing and a farming simulation game. Since this game is compatible with the Game Boy Game Link®, you can exchange animals and seeds with your friends to create your own unique ranch. Best of all, Harvest Moon GB offers a greater variety of characters, crops and animals to choose from, making each game's outcome more fun and less.

pred EE Oh no! You forgot to plow the fields. ooks like no dinner tonight. |

Serious Fun™

4 An à 1 a ji

B vusouer PUBLISHED BY NATSUME

dic

f Si i a b ti yo po 9 LUN" ii ni ae a R í à

| j E

©1998 Natsume Inc. ©1 997 Victor Interactive Software Inc./Pack-In-Soft. All rights reserved. Natsume, Legend of The River King GB and Harvest Moon GB are Trademarks of Natsume Inc. Nintendo Super . NES, Game Boy, and the official seals are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc.

E , oy |] Aar CONTENT RATED BY ESRB

| Departments

4 Q Letter from the Editor " „Words On The Future Perfect

| Dear Game Informer GI readers from across

the globe interact with Game Informer.

Envelope Art

You can't win if you don't enter Gl's Monthly Envelope Art Contest.

GI News

In-depth specs on Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 and PlayStation drop to $129.95, Pokemon invasion inevitable, and tons- o-fun with Name That Game!, Trivia, and Gl's Top Ten.

Game Informer PC GI picks the “Ones To Watch" from E3 1998.

Arcade Brigade

The Brigade takes on Soul Calibur, Radikal Bikers, and Panic Park.

Mini PTP GI tackles the secrets of Tomba!

Secret Access

Tips from our readers and the infamous Game Shark Swap Shop.

Classic Gl

GI looks at classic games

on the Super NES, Genesis, and replays some codes from the vault.

Pg 53

Game Informer Magazine” (ISSN 1067-6392) is published monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 per year, or five trial issues for $9.98 by Sunrise Publications*, 10120 West 76th Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. (612) 946-7245 or FAX (612) 946-8155. For subscriptions, back issues or customer service inquiries (612) 946-7266. Periodicals postage paid at Hopkins, MN, and additional mailing offices. SUB- SCRIBERS/POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Game Informer Magazine*, 10120 West 76th Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344- 3728. Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars and must include $20/year additional postage.

Game Informer* does not claim any copyright in the screen shots herein. Copyright in all screen shots contained within this publication are owned by their respective companies. Entire contents copyright 1998. Game Informer Magazine*. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer? is a trademark of FUNCO, Inc.

Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies.

Cover Story: Heart of Darkness Long before Abe’s Oddysee, there was Heart of Darkness. © Killer 2D graphics, classic gameplay, stunning movies, and the toughest challenge in town are what defines this little- hyped, and often misunderstood game. After years and years in development, Heart of Darkness is finally being published by

Interplay. Read the first-ever review of Heart of Darkness, and see N if it can live up to its reputation. "

Feature: A Look Behind the Scenes Poig j at Spyro The Dragon / Sony's newest platformer is turning heads everywhere. Even Crash Bandicoot is keeping an eye on this little purple fire- breather. People around the world are wondering how Sony packs so many colors, so much action, and so much gameplay onto a single CD-ROM. Read on, as Game Informer gets to the heart of Sony's sure-fire hit.

Feature: The Electronic Entertainment Expo Amongst gamers, if there is one word that inspires awe,

it's “E3.” Celebrities, sports personalities, game designers, not to mention the thousands of games, help make E3 the greatest video game show in the world. Game Informer helps you, the reader, sort through the overwhelming information handed down at E3 with features like Games of the Show, Notables, Missing in Action, and the final word on the big three. Pg 20

Nintendo 64

International Superstar Soccer '98, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Body Harvest, WCW

\ vs. The NWO: Revenge

layStation

Turbo Prop Racing, NFL Xtreme, Kartia, Final Fantasy VIII, Silhouette Mirage, Elemental Gearbolt, MediEvil, Bust A Groove, WCW vs. The NWO: Live

Nintendo 64 Fale

Forsaken 64, Extreme-G 2, Waialae Country Club, GT 64: Championship Edition, Castlevania 64, F-Zero X, Bust-A-Move 2

PlayStation

The Fifth Element, Small Soldiers, G-Shock, Fox

Sports Soccer ‘99, Tecmo’s Deception II, Croc 2, Road Rash 3D, Darkstalkers 3, Forsaken, Mortal Kombat 4, Bottom of the 9th ‘99, International Superstar Soccer Pro ‘98, Fox Sports Golf ‘99

Saturn Burning Rangers

Game Boy Legend of the River King

Game Informer « August '98 e

GAMES INDEX

Aime Bfmer

August Issue 1998 Volume VIII » Number 08 » Issue #64 Richard A. Cihak

Words On The Future Perfect

BY ANDREW McNAMARA

something before | get any deeper: (1) I’m not taking any sides, and (2) I’m not completely 100% on this information. This is just interesting stuff GI heard that | thought you should know. Nothing more.

Blast ROUS ooi oo rey RR Body Harvest cassis cio vee 5051039 y aco pee Bottom of the 9th ‘99 Brave Fencer Musashi............+.++ E3

the go trying to learn more about the latest talk of the Dreamcast and Project X, but more importantly, the next wave of machines from Sony and Nintendo.

D uring the after hours of E3, Game Informer was on

Publisher Of course, if you want to get dirt on game companies, The first piece of information is that Nintendo is busily Burning Rangers ........ sse 58 Andrew McNamara the first place you need to look is developers. Nobody, and looking for a new chipset for its next machine. Since Silicon Bust A GIo0Ve ss nse oes 51 Editor BUA MOE 2 III Isai sess 58

| mean nobody, knows more dirt about technology than these guys - they eat it up. Heck, they live it. The good news is that all the developers agreed that the future of video games is bright, but they were split on who would be

Graphics was a little slow on delivering its last project, Nintendo wanted to look elsewhere to see what it could find. And find something Nintendo did. 3DO was busy working on the follow-up chip to the M2 called the MX. This

Castlevania 64 ........ eere ree 55 Castlevania: Bloodlines ........... 64 Command & Conquer:

Tiberlgn Bul... ava ck ranka ra 52

Paul Anderson Andrew Reiner Senior Associate Editors

Jon Storm É A eee h a A $ Paul Bergren leading the way. chip, which is 128-bit by the way, is incredibly powerful. So Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped ........... E3 Associate Eds One of the more unique choices, at least in my opinion, powerful, in fact, that before Nintendo could buy the chip, "uL Dale Nagel ECS 4 ca Blath was VM Labs’ Project X. The unit, which is actually a Samsung bought 3D0’s entire hardware division on May 2, Daaka ee MM 58 Art Director stand-alone chip, will be available in DVD players (whichis 1997. Nintendo quickly went into negotiations with Elemental Gearbolt ......2..s00s0s00. 50 Curtis Fung totally up to the individual manufacturer). Which is an Samsung, but the deal fell through, and Nintendo, to this K- Zero Xo Ea e RS ere ne 55 Production ee interesting approach, but more importantly, | was surprised day, is still looking for a chip. Word even leaked out of Final Fantasy VIII .......0.++eeeeseees 48 es by the high praise it was given by a number of folks, Nintendo concerning the chip during the negotiations, Pet Ed one P SL rela sies RE including some who said they thought that, even though it saying that, and | quote, "We don't need to bring out the Sansas. a M^ Oud bee only processed at 56MHz, it was more powerful than Sega's 64DD, we have the M128 [Nintendo's codename for the Fox Sports Soccer 99 .........ssuuss. 57 intern Dreamcast and would be a surprise contender in the MX].” Shock oo ee eee een iy 56 ike ns coming years. Getting information on Sony’s machine wasn’t as easy ean UU DIN RUE E3 Kimberley Thompson Benike Obviously, the most popular choice among developers or scandalous, but we did learn one fact. Sony’s next ce ROR spe: a Se es a was Sega’s upcoming Dreamcast; but | believe this is machine will feature a “proprietary” chipset. That means HeartofDabnoss o ER gp n MINS sees because Dreamcast is currently the best technology that Sony is creating it internally, to insure a high quality Heretics cei ee 52 -8159 available to all the tech heads - so they are going nuts for it product. Homeworld ......++.+0seseeseerrenes 52 dpi em d (especially the 16 Megs of RAM). That brings us up to the So who will win? | certainly don't know, but | do know yia Superstar s Soe ee REUS present, but what kind of effect does all this have on the that the lines for the next wave of system wars are Risieflus m cu b: JM future and the decisions that Sony and Nintendo will make? already being drawn in the sand. Game Informer will keep PEE T S do a e 58 Game Informer has learned some interesting you posted... Jackie Chan Stuntmaster ............. E3 information about this, but | want you to understand Jet Force Gemini ............ sese. E3 Se AR ANAT PS TEU Neg Rey DER 46 Customer Service Department Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver........... Ed For e of address Legend of the River King..........+... 58 MadiEVI S AE 50 Metal Gear Solid .............. sess E3 Mortal Kombat... eere sie 58 Mortal Kombat l2. sive sss ey ose a 64 aR N ARAP ar i eR 40 Manufactured and printed NFL Xtreme. iiie 45 in the United States of America Panic Pat s.s oe eR RE 53 PaHfoct Dark oss aco E3 POKOMON Lore esi pn x de TER TENTE E3 Quarterback Club 99 ...........ssssee E3 Radikal BUNS m eaS nena rns 53 Requiem. 5. Sec ve eis e ratio 52 Read Hash. 3D 215 0a mine's tes 58 etel DH TTD ESO NCOICER STR DEP nein seine E3 Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA .......... E3 Siento cctie ee ee ces E3 Silhouette Mirage ............ esses 49 ud À SimCity 30001541 irs LA TS 52 Eee MNA CE Small Soldiers ae 9... crees esie 56 AE RHEN ARE AEYTOR ERRON Soil Calibur ters ntact cat ati 53 E MS eA Spyro The Dragon i: a o E e S 16 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron ........... 41 Swords & Sorcery ............ esee 52 Tecmo's Deception Il ........... suse 57 TOS DIIS DS ia. sich u eo xar oer RAS E3 dvertise The Fifth Element . .......... suse. 56 INDEMNIFICATION The Legend of Zelda: The advertiser and/or A The Ocarina of Time ......... issus. 38 Thief: The Dark Project ............ss. 52 TAU RISO een eel rae UK E E3 EAA REA A V. eser ovo ovi E3 FOMO Haller S| ou wre roca o riri oh Ej. Tomoa A ira ines cotta ete REI 59 d Turbo Prop Racing... oo ae «eae ee 44 i Turok 2: Seeds of Evil ...........0.04. 39 Twelve Tales: Conker 64 ..........sue. E3 VITAMIN e beats eruta a ires Pos ehe x a ae E3 : Waialae Country Club ................ 54 | lA WCW vs. The NWO: Live ........ suse 51 Audit Bureau of Circulations - € 7 CELA e WCW vs. The NWO: Revenge .......... 42 Member The Mercury Gamers (from left, top row): Andy, Jon, Bergren (bottom row): Chet, Paul, Reiner, Robert Ameme e na E EE n "

Andy, The Game Hombre andy@gameinformer.com

“In the issue we talk about all the games, so in my blurb | wanted to talk about all the parties. The Sony party was awesome this year, with a thunderous performance by the Foo Fighters (which I’m sorry to say was much better than Minneapolis’ own Soul Asylum). Eidos had a rippin’ party as well, but whose bright idea was it to have Third Eye Blind? Those guys suck! And just in case anybody is listening, | say go with the Archers of Loaf next year, or maybe Fugazi. Now those guys rock!”

Robert, The Game Cassanova robert@gameintormer.com

“After E3 we hit Six Flags and | found a dope Brak T-shirt. Hail Brak! As far as E3 goes, | only have one question: Who's stupid idea was it to use the Corvette Grand Sport in the GT contest? Not only is it pathetic in capabilities, it is boring to drive. I nearly fell asleep twice. Maybe that's why | wiped out, heh... Shining Force fans, check out Kartia after you finish SF Ill. It is great. And although the Dreamcast is more than a year away, | am stoked. | want one now, now, now!!!”

Jon, The Greedy Gamer jon@gameinformer.com

"There are some awesome games about to come out, and the choices are tough. I’ve been putting time into Kartia - RPG fans should definitely check it out, and Tomba! rocks. But of course, football's right around the corner. Don’t bother with Sony's Xtreme, wait for Game Day, Madden, QBC ‘99, and the NCAA titles to all hit in August/September. And get ready for FF VIII, coming to Japan in just a few short months!"

Paul, The Game Professor paul@gameinformer.com

“As Jon now feels full integration with his computer, I'd like to take a moment to plug Apple Corp. Without these fine folks our job could not be completed. We now have about 15 Macs in the office and some of us have more at home. Bergren’s mom still has the ][c up at the lake. Yeah, | know you're saying the current Apple gaming scene completely stinks and you're right. But you probably won't find too many magazines in the country that don't rely heavily on the good ‘ole Mac.”

Reiner, The Raging Gamer reiner@gameinformer.com

“E3 came and went, and | returned to the Gl stable a broken man. These shows just kill me! But | do have some exciting highlights to report. | met with Shigeru Miyamoto to talk Zelda, and yes, | think he recognized me from the beating | gave him in Star Fox 64. | also exchanged looks and words with Gillian Anderson, who | think wants me in a bad way. She eyed Paul as well. And you didn't think the GI guys were studs! Well, think again! We ooze with coolness and paranormalities.”

Bergren, The Game Burrito bergren@gameinformer.com

“Football season is close at hand and let me tell you, it's tough being a Vikings fan. We live in constant fear that some yahoo will buy the team and move it to a place far away. What's worse, we have to put up with the legions of obnoxious Packer fans that decide to move to Minnesota. Is Wisconsin running out of beer or something? Anyway, l'm pumped we drafted Randy ‘I'll Kick Your Butt" Moss at WR, but if Brad Johnson doesn't make a full recovery... well..."

ONLY EIDOS br iNNOvative d

? It doesnt world of Kurosawa of people world v take much... 2 (2 adventuring with Lar | Just your soul

PlayStation

TOMB RAIDER Il and LARA CROFT and her likeness are trademarks of Core Design. Copyright © 1996-1998 Core. OMIKRON is a trade EIDOS INTERACTIVE is a trademark of Eidos pic. Copyright © 1998. All Rights Reserved. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos ai í

"TEN j fir

gestit

Dang-Ol’-Dang Numbered À d Questions Feu HERE : I Don't Know Nothin

| Il. Does Cait Sith have a level 3 limit Metroid 64 was on the way. Miyamoto | break in FFVII that kills all enemies? | stated that he didn't know, since it | have heard rumors. wasn't his project, but he gave a sly | 2. Are there any plans for a Metroid 64? smile, which has us convinced Metroid |3.Are there any rumors about a 64 is well into development. | Chrono Trigger for PlayStation? 3. No. But you can always wish, right? | 4. Should | buy WCW vs. NWO:World 4. Get WCW vs. NWO. Tour, or should | wait for WWF War _ 5. Absolutely. It can be slow at times, | Zone? but it's a solid RPG. 5. Is Breath Of Fire Ill worth buying? 6. We sit around in a tiny, windowless 6.How do you decide envelope art room and play Parcheesi, with each of E winners? us representing a certain envelope we | Joseph Larkin, choose. The game usually ends before a Harvard MA winner is determined, however, because l. Yes, but it is a random event, Somebody cheats or kicks over the | Sometimes all enemies die, other times board. So usually it’s Andy who picks Í none of them die. out the winner while the rest of us are | 2. There's no official word yet, but there fighting about where the yellow | is some positive news. At Miyamoto's Parcheesi piece is supposed to be. E3 press briefing, someone asked if

| just wanna say I’m very upset with Have faith, Chris, you will see the | Sega's showing (or should | say Sega’s Dreamcast soon enough. It was at E3, | | not showing) at E3. | went to E3 but only behind closed doors. You had | expecting to see something on its new to be in the press, or be a buyer, 64-bit Dreamcast system and left developer, etc. to get in to see it. We | seeing, and hearing absolutely nothing! were lucky enough to see it, and get What the hell is Sega's problem? some information [see pg. 22]. Sega just They've already screwed up the life of wanted to keep it secret from the Saturn, not to mention their masses until July 14 (thats when relationships with a lot of “used to be" Godzilla for the VMS comes out in loyal Sega fans. | would think that they Japan). However, the main reason Sega would try and ease the tempers of all was not touting it on the floor was those who feel that they've been because the U.S. launch is over a year abandoned by Sega, by giving us a away. Why would Sega needlessly give | glimpse of what's to come, thereby, out secrets to its competitors with the giving us a reason to continue having release so far away and all its hopes | some sort of faith in Sega. Having riding on Dreamcast? Anyway, Sega owned my own video game store and really didn't show much behind closed worked at 2 others, | come in contact doors, so you shouldn't sweat it Chris. with hundreds of people who've gotten Sega will hold all its cards until the | rid of their Saturn and switched over to Tokyo Game show this fall. | PS-X or that overpriced cartridge system the N64, | and they all say they're pissed with Sega for one reason or | another. | think (even though they may have a great system coming) that Sega isn’t thinking clearly about how they are frustrating gamers in | the States. Dreamcast should | have been at E3 on tape or | something. Give us | something to believe in Sega, because without us there is no YOU!!! Chris (arcade-a-holic)Sims Milwaukee, WI

A Humorless Nation

| have a couple of complaints and a | couple of questions. And I’m gonna | put them in number format because | know you love that.

| The Complaints

| |.In your June issue you printed | eight letters, one of which was actually about a game.

Ooh, Color

When Game Boy Color comes out, will Game Boy Camera and Printer be in color as well? Also, if you put a Game Boy Color cartridge in a regular Game Boy, will it appear in color?

| The Questions Exe l ask agale: in Tomb Baldar Pin l. From the switch (that opens the | the Training mode, Lara’s home, after i ae door) jump out of the hole and veer to going through the hedgemaze and dp | ? the left. This will bring you to the maze. pressing the button, how do you get : 3 Take as many rights as you can, unless back to the open door before it shuts? ; you have to turn left. After the maze, 2. Is the picture of Lara on the back of

à wS s run into the house and through the the case of her in the bikini actually in door that leads to the basement and | the game and where?

K the secret room. You have to be quick,

Address TONS but do you really want to be? The | : reward for entering this door is just a | Hey, Dear GI doesn’t have to be all few more pixelated textures and items | | about video games all the time. It's — «5 look at. Big deal! | about. entertainment. But to set the N record straight, four letters were about aan

games, three were directed at the staff | and their lives, and the other was | showing ways that GI helps the gaming | community. But now to your questions.

Jason Lewis

Internet

Unfortunately, the Game Boy

Camera and Printer will not work in

| color. However, you may be able to

‘paint’ the areas to your liking, using the

Color editor on the Super Game Boy

or Game Boy Color to give your

pictures a new look.As far as Game Boy

| Color games are concerned, all the GB

| Color games will be backward

compatible to the original Game Boy. As

will all the original Game Boy games be

forward compatible with the Game Boy

| Color. But, the original Game Boy will not “display” in color.

Q Game Informer è August '98

The Stars Read Gi Part Il

| think the "CLASSIC GI" is a great

A Story About A Boy Named Gi

| (1) The Destruction Derby series

| (2) The Ridge/Rage Racer series

| (3) Air/Ace Combat series

(4) ONE

| (5) MDK

| And in return, if you guys have any info and let me know, | am willing to

(Which most game magazines seem t

have done.) | love Classic Gl and I’m :

sure every other gamer that love

classics, loves it too. | just wish you | would expand it by a few more pages. | Anyway, thanks for not forgetting about |

the classic games.

Reggie White |

Dayton, OH |

Thank you very much, and we agree. | It's important to not forget one's roots, | and doing Classic GI keeps us in check | to ensure we are putting the |

new games through their |

paces with direct comparisons |

of the greats and not-so-greats |

of yesteryear. We are|

considering going even further

back and putting Intellivision, |

Atari 2600, and even ColecoVision games in Classic

GI in the future. What do the |

readers think?? Keep your chin up Reggie, the popular route is not necessarily the best route.

Reggie White loves Classic Gl.

try and convince my fiancee to name | our first born son Gl. Matthew Stolze webtv.net Thanks for the compliment. And if | you need a helping hand on convincing your wife, show her the editor's page. What couple wouldn't want to name their child after a bunch of gaming studs like us?

Seriously, though, there wasn't any official announcements on any of these games, but you can bet there will be another sequel to Rage Racer, Ace Combat, and One. MDK and Destruction Derby are another story though. We highly doubt any sequels are on the horizon for those properties.

entertainment!

Mega Man's one bad mother...shut your mouth! Just talking

about Mega Man!

You must clinch your buttcheeks very tight to make | your hair stand | straight up.

Yeah, but will the game ever

In this new offshoot of PaRappa you either rap well or die trying.

V Au l ust Winner Josh Gilbert Glendale, WI

€

What's next? Resident Evil Starring Yoshi?

merit August '98 E)

"If Heart of Darkness came out before

Abe's Oddysee as planned, | would have AN DY been knocked on my butt by it. But since THE GAME HOMBRE

it didn't, I'm just thoroughly impressed. Concept The animation in this game is just 8.5 incredible. Plus, it's filled to the hilt with FMVs. Of course, every game comes down to how good the gameplay is, and Heart of Darkness delivers. While not as difficult as Abe's (or filled with as many secrets), Heart of Darkness features solid, Out of this World-style control that is both frustrating and fun to play. The puzzles are interesting and original, Entertainment and the game actually features a lot of 9

blasting with Andy's gun. While Andy is a lame character, Heart of Darkness is still Exi a great game, and unlike most games, it

doesn't chinch out on the ending." OVERALL

Graphics

"Heart of Darkness is an amazing game

in many ways. The animation is out of REINER this world and the gameplay is fun on the THE RAGING GAMER frustrating level. But | have a big problem Concept with this title, and I’m sure you will as 8

well. There really isn't too much game "USES here. It's the kind of game you can beat rapnics within four hours if you are good. There 9

are only 180 screens spread across Sound eight levels. But there are a few rewards 8.5

to this game such as beautiful FAV —>-—._ sequences, a great ending, and of Playability course, fantastic puzzles and action 8 scenes. Heart of Darkness would have Entertainment received a 9 from me a year ago, but 7

after Abe’s Oddysee, I’m a jaded man. Heart doesn’t have the secrets or replay value punch that Abe’s does. Once you

beat it, then it will sit and collect dust.” OVERALL

“Heart of Darkness (HOD) is a pretty cool JON game, but it definitely doesn't knock my te creepy GAMER socks off. A few years ago - maybe. But — Goncent today is today and HOD is short. If a 7 E game s going to get by with average — ———* — — graphics, it had better be extremely long. Graphics Smart players will finish HOD in two or 8.5

three sittings. And hey, there are no 0 Sound. secrets, nothin£ that would make you 7.5

want to play the game twice. Lame. But — . . 7*" .— —. with the bad there's the good. The Playability puzzles are great, and will make you 8

hang your head in shame. Some are so Ean aan classic. The character Andy is a total u^ b skippy, but his animation is awesome. : However, it all comes down to length and

replay value with this game, and HOD

isn’t worthy of rchase." S y of a purchase DET

Y: : F 10 Game Informer * August '98

Delayed...Demolished...Released How long is too long for an individual to work on a single gaming project? We say two years tops, then after that, insanity takes over. But get this, developer Amazing Studios spent over three and a half years on Heart of Darkness. Cover Stor That’s a third of a decade on one game. In many ways, that is very similar to Amazing Studios’ first console release, Out of This World. How this team held up and avoided killing one another is a miracle.

If any game has history it’s Heart of Darkness. Virgin Interactive originally secured the rights to release this product years ago, and at that time, this was the game to beat. Heart of Darkness was innovative in play and

* Size: 2 CD-ROMs * Style: 1-Player Action/Adventure * Special Features: Tons of Gorgeous FMV

loaded with the most amazing FMV cut-scenes around. But the years passed by and the game slipped into the Cut-Scenes: Excellent Animation & Music: darkness. Where did it go? Nobody knew, and eventually nobody cared, because it was Oddworld Inhabitants that "Out Of This World"-Style Gameplay: Tricky kept this underrated gaming genre afloat with the magnificent release of Abe's Oddysee. All was good. Then a Puzzles & Enemies; 3 Difficulty Levels stranee thine happened * Replay Value: Moderately Low 8 g happ f ^ * Created by: Amazing Studios for Interplay

Oddworld announced the sequel to Oddysee, and rumors about Heart of Darkness' return were being tossed e Available: August for PlayStation around the industry. Could this be? Would Heart of Darkness actually come out? A few weeks before this year's E3, the news hit the streets. Interplay Productions announced that it would publish Heart of Darkness, with plans to N

H . e

release the game in August. We were overwhelmed, and also very skeptical. Bottom Line: 5

Now, here we are, a good three years later, with Heart of Darkness featured on our cover. Does the game still live e

up to all the hype that it garnered years ago? Yes, but it's not the monster that it used to be. The FMV scenes that blew us away are now old news and slightly outdated, but Heart of Darkness still has a killer bite in two other categories. For one, the story and how it is integrated into the gameplay is outstanding, and we can honestly say that it is one of the few titles out there with a perfect balance of cinema and game. Heart of Darkness also kicks you in the rear with the gameplay itself. Like Abe's Oddysee (which we love to death), Heart of Darkness challenges gamers to use their brains in conjunction with pure gaming skills.

This is the kind of game that cannot be walked through without first being frustrated to death. You'll get stuck. And, you'll swear. But you'll love it from start to finish.

The Shadows That Crawl Gamers assume the role of wild child Andy, a young lad who must journey into the heart of a different world to try and save his dog Whisky from the forces of evil. This world is unlike ours in every possible way. Magic, monsters, and fear all play a large factor. The key to the game lies deep within Andy himself. It's his fear of the dark. If you can overcome this, Andy's current nightmare will come to an end. If he fails (which all relies on your gaming skills), then he and his dog will be lost forever.

If you've played through Blackthorne, Out of This World, Flashback, Abe's Oddysee, or Prince of Persia, then you know what to expect from this game. Amazing Studios has incorporated all the necessary ingre- dients to ensure that a frustrating, yet enjoyable experience is taken in. The gameplay is fairly basic and consists mostly of proceeding from the left to right. All of the game is separated by single screens. There is no scrolling whatsoever. Pass by one screen and head to the next. The great thing is, you'll never know what to expect. Sometimes you'll need to complete tasks that span across several screens. Also, when you perish, you won't always begin on the screen that you died on. Usually, you'll start five or six screens back.

As far as excitement goes, Heart of Darkness has plenty of it. From the start of the game, our little hero Andy wields a mighty laser cannon that sprays a continuous stream of electricity across the plane. At times you will need to take full advantage of this gun when what seems like hundreds of shadow beasts attack from all sides. Later on in the game, Andy loses this priceless weapon, but soon finds a strange lifeforce energy. With this he can still eliminate enemies as with the gun, but can also power it up and make seeds blossom into gigantic vines within a split second. Also, some enemies are immune to the normal shot and can only be killed by the charged one.

Fighting is a big part of this title, but you will find yourself dying in several more ways than just in the mouth of a hungry shadow beast. Like most platform games, Heart of Darkness features some really nasty jumping and run- ning segments. If you don't complete them in one fell swoop, then you'll have to start the whole segment over again.

Heart of Darkness is a pretty game that features amazing animation, awesome background renders, and fasci- nating shadow effects. The gameplay is equally impressive, but the big question is, how much of it is there? Check our reviews for the bottom line on this highly anticipated title.

12

Game Informer « August '98

Gameplay Hint

The Smelly Butt Block - Obviously, we named this move our- selves. You know, Andy is a young guy and he's been through quite a lot already. His dog is missing, there are alien beings flying through the skies, and his ship has crashed. Thus, we believe that Andy dropped a load, released the big brown cow, cloned Mr. Hanky, or whatever you want to call it. Anyway, when swarms of shadow creatures pounce from both sides of the screen, place Andy all the way to one side of the screen, and duck so his rear is on the next screen. Doing this will eliminate the chance of any enemies attacking from the screen holding Andy's butt.

Scene1- Crash Landing

Immediately after the cinematic crash landing, it's time to take control of the well named youth known as Andy. Jump off of your tiny yellow ship and walk to the right (get used to this — you'll be going in this direction quite often), then run and jump over the pit. On the next screen, don't move. Shoot the shadow creature and then the hanging bones. If you don't, the shadow of the bones projected onto the rock wall will attack you. Perform the same technique on the second bag of bones, then blast the lonesome shadow on the next screen. Watch it though, this critter is tricky. Next, walk under the sabertooth tiger rock structure and shoot upward until it explodes. Now, prepare for an invasion. Blast! Blast! Blast them dead, then walk to the next screen for another onslaught, but this time from both sides. This would be an opportune time to try out The Smelly Butt Block maneuver (see Gameplay Hint).

The next screen over is yet another battle, but after this, be prepared to use some different skills. Shoot the two shadows, then use the double jump technique to get past the running critters. Finally, shoot the leapfrogging shadows. At the bone ladder, don't shoot at anyone until the shadow that pounds the ground enters the scene. When he smashes the ground, shoot the shadow that bounces up. Blast the rest of the shadows and then climb up the bone ladder. On the next screen, a few rock beasts will check you out. Let them finish their business then run right through the large one. You are now without a weapon. Keep running, and pass across the tiny bridge. Again, run, and the shadow behind you will die from the sunlight (important tip #1). Follow the chameleon-ike shadow up the cliff and jump to the same spots that it does. At the t-rex leg, jump up and down until the ledge you are standing on falls. Now, scale the next wall until you come to the dino head. Quickly jump out of the dino mouth and then climb again. Scale the rocks until you come to a slender bone. Bump into it and shake it free. Lastly, jump into the bone and knock it down so that a bridge is formed from your position to the next. End of Scene 1.

your enjoyment of the game. 2 Moe AT OUR OWN DISKI

All right, this i is quite a change of scenery, screen, jump up and pull down the vine to remo way. Now, jump over the rocks and use your Pitfall-acquired skills to pass by the vine swinging. Let the plant serpent eat the glow bug before passing by. Climb up the rock face and jump out to the vines and bounce off the large snake shaped like a rock. Now, wade through the water and duck whenever the flying shadows divebomb you. Scale the next cliff and jump out to the weird black sheet-like thingy. It was actually a snake. Eek! Doing this saves your life later. It’s good that you killed it. Now, go into the cave and wait until the plant serpent eats a glow bug. Now, jump up and bump the glow bug nest and run back to the cliff. This time scale up to the next screen.

Run to the right (past two screens) and come to : Wait until the plant serpent nearest you feeds, then run ai n over the tiny pit, and go to the next screen. Stop again! Grab vine and run like the dickens! Ahh. Peace. But for only one screen Scale the first set of rocks, then p? the loose one and prepared for a ride.

After falling a good 500 stories, swing yourself back and forth over to the little stick on the left. Grab it and plug the beast’s mouth. Now, swim. Swim fast! Avoid the beast again and seek shelter in the forest. Climb the tree on the right and jump out to the vine to save the big-lipped flying Muppet. Again, be prepared to go for a ride (and fall another 500 stories).

PlayStation

Cover Story

1e 3 - Palm Action For Kids Scene 4 - Rock and Roll Swim straight down and touch the glowing rock to remove the Sit back and fire some green. rocks on the next screen, and to also gain the much coveted Palm When you feel confident make a run Power Projectile Attack. Now, swim to the right and up to the next for it. On the next screen, eliminate land area. Use the Ultra Palm Power Projectile Attack (A) to all who do not fly. Then, run again. destroy the rock wall. From here, push the seed against the wall Stop at the bridge and hold on tight. and use the Ultra Attack to turn the seed into a climbable plant. Climb down the shattered bridge and

Do the same on the next screen. Scale the purple shrooms and jump out to the plant. Dive into the water and stick to the right wall to avoid the sea creature. In a timely manner, dodge the next two plants and get some air. Dive again, making sure that you steer clear of the three sucker plants, and enter into the brown hole. Continue past all of the other perils (and there are plenty) and you will eventually come to a fork in the road. Swim down to get air, then proceed up and past a few more dangerous sections and up onto land again. Shoot the first plant with an Ultra Attack, then jump out onto the glowing crystals. Shoot the. ing plants within your path, and then get ready for a frustrating section. To take down the large-eyed worms, set yourself away from the holes and

swing over to the foliage on the right. Shoot the worms and the white rock on the next screen, then jump out to the vine and swing like Tarzan. Kill the two shadows and the one on the next screen. Now, go up and destroy the vine. Push the seed away from the rock structure so that no shadow is cast when it grows again. Now, shoot it with the Ultra Attack and climb up. Jump onto the roots and shoot the large root shadow. Continue upward and destroy all the worms that cross your path. After passing four or five screens you'll come to one with a large rock on a pulley. Drop to the ledge near the rock and perform the impossible. Push the rock’s shadow so that the rock moves. This in turn will open a new area. Return to

the worm/root walls and you'll find the new opening.

~ Screen. Push the rock out of the way and run and jump over

Now, go up and dodge the rocks, then blast the three shadows. On the next screen haul rear and

don't stop until you get to Scene 5.

don't move. They won't see you. Fire a blast and they're toast. You won't need to kill all of them, but take out a fair share before you move on. Now, drop down and move to the left. Kill the shadow

. . beasts and the plant serpent on the wall. Shoot the newly laid seed and go up to the next

. to the left. Shoot the three worms and climb down the crystals to the little stream. Get wet, and head to the _ fight. Push the rock out of the way and quickly retreat

. back into the stream. Return to the screen with a vine and wall-mounted plant serpent. Shoot the vine, then push the seed over to the next screen. Now, shoot the vine all the way across the screen and then shoot the seed by the water. Jump to the newly formed vine and push the seed into the water. Launch some yellow glow at both seeds and climb up to the next zone. In these caverns destroy all of the plants that cross your path.

Now here comes another tricky section. When the shadows appear, run as fast as you can to the left. Shoot the seed and go up to safer ground. From this high angle, kill all of the shadows and drop down. Go left again and kill another grouping of villains. Scale the wall and cross over the narrow bridge to be greeted by a surprise "Continued on Disc 2."

bt

Scene 5 - Fire! I Take You To Burn!

Jump off the highly pollinated flower and walk to the right. Quickly turn around and blast the three shadows hiding in the...well...shadows. On the next screen, blast everything and take a breather. And no, you are not hallucinating. The screen is actually shaking. Walk back a few feet and step on the white rock, then run onto the next screen. Jump over the next white rock and stop on the very next screen. Jump over the lava fountains and scuffle across the wall. Eliminate the spider, then shoot the two shadows on the lower platforms. Climb back up and take a quick shot to kill the shadow up top. Now, proceed to the next screen and blast *em all dead. Return to the previous screen, and take the dangerous fire route back to the screen you were just on. Go up and take out the trash (if you know what we're saying).

Continue on to the right and avoid all the lava fountains. Take the lower route again and push the seed through the wall. Shoot it with the Ultra Attack and return. This time, take the upper route. Climb the vine and proceed up and onto the next scene.

mV COEM tum co

14

Amer * August '98

Scene 6 - The Pillar Paradox

This part is tricky. Quickly jump off the pillar and drop to the hole. Go right and step on the loose pillar to drop again. Shoot the seed to block the side attack and go right. Press the switch and return to the last screen. Now, fall down and go to the right. Shoot the shadow and seed, then move on to the next section. Kill the shadows on the next two screens and crawl under the wall. Push the seed back to the previous room and line it up under the lowest pillar. Shoot it with the Ultra Attack and get ready for a bloody combat scenario. Don't worry though, you have two full screens to avoid attacks. After 10 kills or so, it's time for yet another FMV.

Scene 7 = The Search and Rescue

Destroy the baddies on the first two screens, then scale the wall

and blow out the rocks blocking the cave. Curiously take out the

new enemy by using Ultra Attacks on the beast form and slime form. Now, run onto the chain bridge and fall. Kill all of the enemies in this room and in the next. Jump up onto the wall and swing over to the right. Press the switch and more bricks on the wall will appear. Climb down and swing to the right again. Press the switch and get ready to blast a horde of villains coming from the left. Now go to the left and go down the ladder. Hit the switch and go back up. Ascend the bricks and go to the right. Kill the shadow and shoot the seed. Ascend the vine and go left. Hit the switch and blast all of the enemies (shoot the ceiling-mounted shadows from the lower level first). In the next room time your jumps carefully.

Now, shoot the worms on the next screen and descend deeper into the cavern. Blast the shadow and drop to safe ground. Hit the button and ascend the rocks again. Sneak into the next room and nail the shadow. Press the button and return all the way back to the appearing block area. Go down and to the right. Take the lad- der and shoot the armored ghost several times so that its body separates into a ton of different clones. Then, quickly advance up and across the chains on the wall. Jump to the lit blocks (which are in no particular order), then shoot the dude and enter the next room to get captured.

Shoot straight up and knock the seed down. Blast the seed and climb up to escape. Push the rock to free ye Th

over and press the: button on the left-hanc oe : enter the door. On the next few screens you'll need to

nemies. When they are all destroyed, press the two ground switches and head up and through the door. Here you will lose your power. Wah!

stand there until an am

hole you fell in before! into the next. You got gun back!!!

eliminate a massive load of

Drop onto the box and

„Match one of the best e "bring them out and wat

Blast all the enemies you encounter with your trusty gun and hit the floor switches to open the next two doors. Destroy the next set of enemies, then go up the ladder and confront the troublesome pink dude. In the next room, push the diamond back to the pink guy, then climb the ladder. Duck and go through the tunnel, but don’t forget to kill the scumbag waiting for you. Hit the switch, then jump over to the ladder. Hit another switch and pro- ceed on to the left. Here you will find the next diamond. Kick it down the hole then leave it be. Walk over and stand on the switch. From here, blast the diamond into the next room. Follow it back to the beginning.

Return to the top of this segment and you'll notice that a few more enemies have been thrown into the mix. Have the shadow below you open the first two doors, then on the next screen exterminate the armored ghosts. Go back one screen and climb the ladder. Kill all three batches of enemies, then hit the two switches and play the easy scale game. Now, follow this last rock piece down to the beginning and Mr. Pink.

This time, head left and drop down to the new entrance. Kill all the enemies, and don’t forget about the one hiding under the ledge. Drop again, and get ready to sweat. This is where the game gets tricky (joke). Destroy all the enemies and / f

dodge the evil one’s fire attacks via the / double jump. After three screens, you will f

find the last tiny shred of the magic rock.

the dark? This one screen is the last room in t away the evil that comes too sh and your bravery will outlast Darkness. Now, get set to und. If you have 3D glasses,

the sinister scheme of the

Game Informer e August '9

outcome, as you will ce Game Informer takes you to the sleepless office of. Insomniac and learns first-hand what it takes to make a game.

INTRODUCING SPYRO THE DRAGON

Spyro is a young mischievous dragon who loves to play hide and seek. He lives in the land of the Dragons and here life is good. But in time a strange being, known as Gnasty Gnorc, becomes quite jealous of the Dragons’ power and treasure (that glistens oh so bright), and finds that he must , master the dragons and capture the treasure for his own.

The only problem is, the day that Gnasty Gnorc strikes, is also the very same day our hero, Spyro, is doing a fantastic job of hiding. Or at least that’s what he thought. For when he finally went to find his friends, he was horrified to discover that all the dragons in the land had been crystallized. Distraught, Spyro runs up to a crystallized elder dragon and, to his surprise, the dragon is instantly revived.

The elderly dragon offers his thanks to Spyro and then tells him that he must explore the five worlds of the Dragons and save the other 80 Crystal Dragons. But the road to freedom won't be easy, as Gnasty Gnorc’s minions have taken over the land and are battling for control of the dragon family worlds. Spyro is the only hope that the dragons have for survival.

THE GAME a"

Insomniac's goal in Spyro the Dragon is to create a lush 3D world, filled with interesting characters and lots of fun action/platform gaming. It's obvious the team has achieved this, as Spyro features 34 worlds with over 100 characters to tangle with and about 80 Crystal Dragons to save. The goals in the game are simple: save all the Crystal Dragons, grab all the treasure you can find, recover the 12 lost dragon eggs, and defeat Gnasty Gnorc.

The road to Gnasty Gnorc will take you through five dragon family worlds (the Artisans, Peace Keepers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, and Dream Weavers) and then finally to Gnasty's World (for the showdown hodown). You arrive in the homeworld, which is basically a level that contains entrances to the other five zones. In the homeworld you are expected to save dragons, collect treasure, and battle enemies just like any other level. But from here you can also head to the three other levels, the boss level, and the flying Treasure Round.

Unlike some games, the boss levels in Spyro are not really much different than the

standard levels, the only difference being (1)

they're harder, and (2) there's a boss at the

end to defeat. The Treasure Rounds are also-

somewhat unusual in that you can try them as many times as you like. In each Treasure Round there are four different goals for you to

complete (for example, destroy the trains, fly through the rings, etc.). Complete them and you are rewarded with treasure; complete all four tasks at once, and you are swimming in gems and have beaten the Round.

In each of these worlds Spyro can jump, glide, look, charge, supercharge, roll strafe, and breath fire. All these skills come naturally to Spyro except the supercharge. To execute the supercharge Spyro must find a hill that features arrows pointing down. Charge down the hill and Spyro accelerates into the supercharge. This is a very interesting skill since, to enter some places, Spyro must be running at full speed; but the problem is, the place you need to get to is on the other side of the world. This means you have to complete a series of jumps and maneuvers, all while charging at full speed, in order to conquer the puzzle.

Along the way Spyro will also encounter Thieves who hold the precious Dragon Eggs. To obtain the Egg, Spyro must catch these speedy little buggers in what basically comes down to a race. Early in the game catching these guys is fairly easy, but later in the game it takes perfect control.

.. Also, on each level the player will find

. keys to unlock treasure boxes, puzzles to

solve that open doors, and, of course, the important Crystal Dragons. Finding the Dragons is similar to finding the Stars in Mario. The key to finding them is to explore each level, and discover the path that leads to

the goal. Finding some are as easy as walking down a hall, others will require nerves of steel [ig and perfect execution. When you do free a Crystal Dragon, however, you will be greeted by an awesome talking dragon with lip- synched animation to give you hints.

As you can see, Spyro is a game about exploration. But unlike your typical adventure, each world is so lush, and filled with such amazing graphics, that they need to be seen to be believed. At one point, you start a level and you can see clear across to the other end of the world. So until you see it for yourself, trust us and start saving your pennies, because Spyro hits the streets in the beginning of September.

Seth Luisi, Michael John, Al Hastings, Ted Price, and Mark Cerny (from left to right) look just too excited for words after demonstrating Spyro!

Insomniac president Ted Price shows off Spyro.

FROM PAPER TO PLAYSTATION

For those of you who are unaware, Spyro is not Insomniac's first game. In fact, before this project began back in January of ‘97, the company released a rather impressive first-person shooter game by the name of Disruptor. While the team enjoyed creating Disruptor, they were ready for a change of pace. Gone from their minds was the technology-filled future, they needed some- thing different. Something fun, yet serious. Something brighter, but not cartoony. Heck, they knew what they wanted to do...they wanted to do a character-based action/platform game, but what character and how? was the real question.

Breakthrough. Craig Stitt, one of the artists on the team, mentions that he has always

team agrees and Spyro is born. At the other end

found a way.

is a fully 3D panoramic game engine on the PlayStation that (1) does not use fog to obscure the backgrounds or objects in the distance, (2) streams

ye disc to give the player seamless 3) eliminates loading screens, (4) creates g, breathing, artificially intelligent characters, (5) builds characters, landmarks, and objects in the distance that seemlessly go from gouroud-shaded, | count models to texture-mappet animated cr sprinkles the

A rare look at one of Mark Cerny's level designs.

-{ that's another story.

Of course, even with its long list of powers, it's just a game engine. So

| the rest of the team needs to add in all the parts that

TOWN SQUARE

In about a week Brian Hastings can input all the Al for a level using his Karma toolset.

designing th

wanted to do a game featuring a dragon. The

of the office Mark Cerny, an industry veteran — who is best known for his work on Crash, sets up — technology goals that engine designer Al Hastings must try to match. Seven months later, Al has not only met Mark's goals, but exceeded them. Insomniac hag tedious process, but very important nonetheless.

And what a way it is. The program that Al creates "m

| actually it's three, but

turn Al'S powerful engine into sortie special. Story, gameplay, music, sound effects, level design,

art, attitude, camera angles, control, and design tools

are just the beginning. These things still need to come together over the coming year. By now you have got to be saying to yourself, “this is a butt-load of work.” Which, our loyal readers, is true. But Insomniac Games is just kicking into gear.

With engine in hand, the next move is production. Many of the game concepts and conceptual art were already completed by the team at this point, but Spyro himself was still incomplete. To create the main character, Insomni lled on Charles Zembillas to € her 80 Crystal Dragons in the game. In the video game world he is best known for Crash character. In the real world, he is the head of the Animation Academy in Burbank,

California and a teacher to animators everywhere.

With Spyro’ s design complete, the different parts

: of the game are set into motion. Mark Cerny and Michael John of Universal (with help from Alain - who we will get to later) start to design levels - old- fashioned style - on graph paper. Put a box here, place a certain type of enemy there. A slow and

. From the level designs, the Insomniac artists can bedin creating pre-production sketches, textures, and models. With six worlds and 34 levels, the decisions on art direction for each area are important as they create the contrast, the setting for each area, and in the end, give the game its overall feel. John Fiorito begins the process by creating sketches of the various elements found in the levels. Bridges, towers, lampposts, you name it. When he’s finished, and the sketches approved, they are taken and wireframed.

The process of wireframing a level is unusual.

\ First the artists take and scan in the graph paper /. version of the level into the computer. Then using "|

Alias, artists such as Dan Johnson. take the sketc

and create wireframe models of the various. obje

environment on top of the original level esigr level | tL

sky. Enter Craig toolset, Craig Cycloramas. Basically, dome that covers the environme finishing touches on the fantasy world. The ar

A world according to Karma...the colored dots represent the location of enemies & treasure.

Artist Dan Johnson shows us a wireframe of one of Spyro's levels.

thing about all the skies in Spyro is that, although they

look like beautifully painted backdrops, they are

actually very small gouroud-shaded polygons. Using this technique gives Spyro the advantage in speed, as well as memory, so that more textures can be used closer to the player's field of view.

With the environments complete, Alain Maindron steps up to the plate. He is responsible for creating and animating all the characters in Spyro. Alain took t all the characters in

p battling druids, soldiers running in fear...basically, he wanted anything and everything in the game. So much in fact, that many of his character concepts and animations actually affected the level designs, because in order to implement his ideas, the levels would need to be changed.

Now that all the production elements are in motion, these pieces need to be placed into the game. This is done through a toolset designed by Brian. His self-proclaimed Karma toolset was first used on Disruptor, but for Spyro the toolset needed to be reworked and upgraded to handle Spyro's advanced gaming engine. With Karma, Brian and the rest of the programming team can place all the objects, enemies, Crystal Dragons, 1-ups, and Spyro himself into the game. Also through this tool, Brian can, in about a week, give all the characters in the game the artificial intelligence (Al) routines and paths that are needed to give the game life. Karma, like most toolsets, uses a simple interface with menus and icons to make it easy to edit and tweak the game as gameplay dictates.

Speaking of gameplay, the main duty of programmer Matt Whiting is to tweak control systems and create the camera system that follows what you do onscreen. While it seems like a simple enough task, getting the camera to show what the gamer is supposed to see, while keeping the game playable, is very difficult. If the camera moves too fast, gamers will get sick.. glterally. If the camera moves too slow or d ri paini in the butt, then the

oint in our story the game is still far

s important to keep in mind that _ s are in eternal motion, at the same When the artists finish something in d s immediately given to the yrogrammers who. work the new stuff into the game. Nn the programmers aren't busy with Sum. from

[Continued on Page 19] Game Informer « August '98 aD

.ome of our readers may not know who Stewart Copeland is, and to you we say “get a life!” In the 70's and 80's, Copeland was the drummer for the Police. As such, he became known as one of the greatest drummers in rock history. But that wasn't enough. In 1989 he went out and did the complete opposite of rock; he released an Opera — Holy Blood, Crescent Moon. Then he went on to work on over 30 movie sounatracks.

But now Copeland is widening his horizons, and adding video game soundtracks to his repertoire. Game Informer jumped at thie opportunity to meet with Copeland, but we soon discovered that there is more to him than meets the eye. Join us, as we sit and speak with a music legend about video games and music.

Gl: What brought you to video games as opposed to the other things you've done?

Stewart Copeland (SC): Well, I've been interested in video games for a while. | was talking to Ed Anunciado for a while about doing a Sega game because | was a big fan of Ecco. | was introduced to it by my kids. And we were talking for a long time, it seemed like a fun thing to do, but was never possible before because of what happened with that game. And that game was Bones...or something like that.

GI: Mr. Bones?

SC: Yeah. The problem was, by the time they made the game, they got carried away with the visuals and everything like that. And they started out saying, okay, we have this much space for music so let's get high quality music. But by the time they actually designed their game and used it all up for picture, there was not much room for music which didn’t really warrant a budget to bring somebody like myself into it. But Michael [Spyro producer] held true to his [sly grin] commitment to high quality music and it was therefore possible. And this particular game looks like a cool game.

And that’s the other thing about it, | guess | was easily impressed because the last game | played was the Sega game [laughs]. He brought me over a Sony PlayStation and | go, “Wow, what a great game.’ But actually | like some old ones, you know, like Crash Bandicoot and stuff. | think this is much better than Crash Bandicoot [looks at Mike and laughs]. Crash Bandicoot seems more like the Sega games than this one in terms of the type of action that it does.

GI: Have you been playing Spyro a lot?

SC:Iplayedthes — out of the game. One of my favorite things about this job is when I'm in there playing Spyro and Brian [son] comes in, | can shout at him, "Don't interrupt me while I’m working” [laughs]. And in fact, what happens is, I’m there, | write a piece of music, and | say, let's check it [the game] out. Fifteen minutes later, and I'm still just trying to get that jump.

GI: | know that feeling. So do you like working in video games so far?

SC: It's a blast. There's a lot of it. I'd say the

Ó Game Informer ° August '98

only drawback is the volume of it. But it hasn't worn off. l've done 34 tunes now, and | have another batch for next week, and then | have to do the special items — reward things and various bits. And other versions of the songs as well, so that when you're on a level, you beat all the bad guys, but now there's this one particular flying motion you're trying to get, one sort of task, and you're not surrounded by monsters anymore. So when the music finishes and it loads it up again, you get a different piece of music, which is the same riff, only a different attitude.

GI: As far as putting the thing together, are you doing the whole thing with keyboards? Are you using various instruments or just doing it all electronically?

SC: I’m doing it electronically, but the things that lm using are very large samples of full orchestral sounds. It's basically the same stuff that | use in a full feature movie — full bandwidth samples of orchestras that are recorded in Salt Lake and stuff. lve got a whole collection of that stuff. But | haven't felt it necessary to bring players in just because the grooves are there.

GI: Obviously, you've played with The Police and done an opera and soundtracks. How do video games stack up against all of that?

SC: They're all different and | need a bouquet. | think everyone needs kind of a collection, an assortment of artistic enterprise to keep them fresh. That's what | like about film music, because Pll go from a sci-fi thriller to a romantic comedy to some period tragedy to some ethnic thing, and variety is very cool. This

“I think with this music it's got

Some day some psychologist will figure out why that is.

The same thing with pop music,

within the constraints of that three minute song and the one subject you're allowed and the required guitar solo. You know, it has to go verse, chorus, verse, chorus, guitar solo, verse, chorus. No other format is acceptable. Within these tight restraints, for some reason you get great results.

And in film the constraints are very different, and in fact, more specific. The guy is looking at the girl, he says, "I love you darling, and she believes him and there’s a gush, and there’s supposed to be a surge of emotion, but we need to know that he’s lying. So we need to say specifically that she’s swept away and we want the audience to be swept away by the emotion of the moment, but we also need them to have an important plot point because he’s lying. And the actor is being convincing, but there is no way the director can tell the audience that he is lying without having a little sign come up, so the music does that. The music has very, very specific and finely nuanced specificity in its mission to support the picture.

Here, with Spyro, there is none of that specificity. None of that one subject matter is allowed. There is none of that verse, chorus, verse, chorus. The specificity is that you have to stay within a range of emotion over 34 tunes [laughs]. Which is basically cheerful, under a little bit of threat, but this is good fun, but lm feeling a little bit

video game project 3

stands out. The real h threatened, but I'm kind of difference is that | can to have motivated to keep at it, and write music unfettered b : there’s a challenge, but | can dialogue. It's different Num something that beat it. So there is a specific writing a pop song, where " emotion, | have actually found me realy cee gets their —ittobe really a lot of fun to just

You gotta have a lyric on one subject. One subject [laughs]. It has to be three minutes long, it has to

have a hook, it has to : singer [laughs louder]. have this, you know. And emotional There're just kind of cheerful within those limitations ` ; riffs. And actually, | haven't there's room for a lot of things the first hoe d had ped creativity. A lot of those — 4; ; eep It down to like one cnor pop Uerum make alot Ame, but as it fo, ten-year-olds or anything of great of music. And in : like that. Its actually a pretty fact those limitations Keeps going ot eget to a cause talent to happen for en-year-old mind. And | know some reason. T around there's iat my kids respond to very , ae : complex things as long as ade fee a Meee something something in there gets them. j : he other : emere they didn’t gna gone comperi : like it wh Md E Meu one hear the first ie t Like, Mes rhyming pattern, and : 35 why my two-year-old watches everything like that, But time. Dumbo again and again and within that straightjacket, again is because she doesn't somehow the artistic impact is get it. And she gradually does

heightened and the artistic inspiration of the creator is somehow intensified by those limitations. It's a strange anomaly.

attention and hits the

be writing music for music’s sake without having to think of ag. damned lyric [laughs]. Not to mention a g damned

get it with every exposure. | think with this music it's got to have something that gets their attention and hits the emotional

things the first time, but as it keeps going around there's some- thing they didn't hear the first time. Theres a logical sequence of events in the music. This little chord leads to that chord and the first time it goes past, hopefully they like it, but the 15th time it goes past, they know why they like it and they AN can now anticipate very complex WES! musical maneuvers. | think that WIE people like that. People like it when (aaa they get it. The mind is a problem Y solver, that's how these people (game — * developers) make their living is by puzzle — solving. And the human mind has a . natural instinct and there's a little dopamine that gets released every time you solve a problem. And I think musically, that's sort of a high concept. ;

GI: Are video games something y want to keep doing?

SC: Absolutely, | enjoyed the hell out of it. Its a different set of constraints and that's refreshing. All of the constraints that | am kind of itching to be rid of, for the moment, of pop music and film music, I'm free of.

' And | have a whole new set which I’m not

bored with yet, that I'm not feeling up against yet. So | actually enjoyed the hell out of it. It’s like making model airplanes.

GI: When did you start working on music for Spyro?

SC: February, that's when it was. | first met Michael John when he was limping on crutches. And it's good to see you up and around [laughs].

Gl: So you've done 34 tracks in four

monna”

wil have done 34 tracks dà 12 more alternate versions, four or five special items.

GI: So over 50 little diddies?

SC: Yeah. Well the other thing that's

interesting, that I’ve discovered, is that creativity is not a utilization of existing material, that is an expendable resource. In other words, you don't run out of ideas.

The more ideas you use, the more ideas you churn out, the more ideas you have. It's not a resource, it's a muscle. And | find that when I’ve got three movies on top of each other, and I’ve hardly got time to move, | get into automatic pilot. It's just like constant perpetual motion. | wake up, | go down, I’m back into it, 'm working ‘til | drop, and | go home and | can't think, and I’m wondering if l'm desperate, and all this stuff like that. And then | deliver it and the smoke clears and | look back and it's my best work. In fact the harder you work creatively, the better your work. If you were to write, every day, 6,000 words, you'd find that after three weeks of that, instead of running out of ideas, you are smoking now. I’m convinced this must be true for everyone else. But ! know that actually with this material, | feel l'm getting better and better at it. Instead of running out of ideas, and now I’m really scraping the barrel, | find the ideas are getting better and better and better. And that happens with all the films that | do. You know, | . did a couple of films recently that had

something like an hour of music and very à little time to create it. And | rushed through it and | delivered it and | remember thinking, “this time lm not going to get away with it” And then | remember them calling up and saying, “Unbelievable.” It always seems to have been that way and its, | think, an im- portant fact of life. And not

many people

know this, but creation — is exercise not um...um...what's the word Im looking for? Mining, youre not mining, " you're creating, youre planting.

GI: The video game bug is what you got.

SC: Yeah, yeah. And | wrote that, and thought, well s ,its kind of downhill from here. Actually I'm looking forward to getting in and doing other versions, so there's more to do. But like | say, you don't run out of it, it regenerates. | guess it's like

pruning trees or something like that. You cut off a

branch and it grows back better.

Gl: Do you sit down and watch Spyro and then write the music or do you sit around and work on a piece of music while thinking about Spyro and then go back and put it in and see how it works?

SC: A combination. The last two or three worlds, | have only seen a videotape. So the first ones I'd be - on a level and be thinking the same way I'd score a scene. | look at the scene, the scene gives me an

attitude, and the attitude gives me a rhythm, and the . geas —

rhythm gives me a chord structure. And also I'd get an idea and go, oh that's cool, a bass line that goes...[beats on the table]. But then I'd get halfway into it and I'd think, “ah s. , where's this gonna go?" And then I'd look through. And when I'm

halfway, I’ve got some idea. And then when ifs a bit developed, then I'd sit through the levels and see - where it goes. And then I'd tune it to that level from

there on. Gl: So you're doing everything, writing it, recording it, and mixing it? _ SC: Well | have an engineer. Jef Seitz, my other half, we've been working together for 15 years. | write it, in fact I’m always [complaining], it takes me ten minutes to write and two days to print. Not quite, but | just seems that way. That's because the writing part is fun, then the minute | finish writing, and this applies to opera or any artistic Woo | ge to the

- That isnt thes _.

point where | hand it over and it's downhill from there. Then it's the marketing or, in the case of opera, you hear some orchestra murder it. Or in the case of a record it's great until you get the first review or, in the case of anything, creating is the s —. and it's downhill from there, whichever way [everyone laughs].

Actually Stravinsky made this point, where if somebody asked him, Mr. Stravinsky, what's your favorite part of writing a piece of music? Is it when

: you first hear the orchestra play it? Or is it the first

time it plays before and audience and you can feel the audience getting off on it? Or is it the applause after it? And Stravinsky says, well the best part is when you're there writing it and you're trying to figure out how this note gets to that note and you go nuts for days trying to find it and you find that note. That's it. And then you find that note and as soon as you found that note, you put it on the score, it's downhill from there. Everything else is s__. Everything else is business, it's a hassle. It's finding that note, that thrill that you get from finding that key that opened the box which gets you to the next level. It's the same deal. You find that note which cures your musical problem or whatever. That's the fun part.

Gl: Overall, what do you think of music in video games?

SC: Some good, some bad. Like Ecco for instance. Ecco is my template because | really loved that game. And the music was a big part of it. It's not my kind of music even, but it worked great with the game. And there's one that the kids play, this Batman game. Basically the soundtrack is Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! And it's mostly pretty annoying as a matter of fact because, and | can appreciate why, they're stuck to those squeaky sounds. And it's tough, | mean those guys writing 34 tracks on a limited sound power. | have respect for those guys, the same way | have respect for the old Tom and Jerry cartoon composers.

GI: What kind of music do you like?

SC: Constantly varying. l'm very much into modern techno music. | still go back to my old ZZ Top albums before they got a drum box [laughs]. But right now lm into like Critters Duggin. Finley Quay is my last great discovery. Mike and | share an appreciation for William Orbit, Portishead, Rage Against the Machine. In fact I’ve been real lucky. | can walk into

Tower Records and buy records by sense of smell. You know, I'll pick something up, never heard of it

_[sniff, sniff]...yeah. And | have a very high batting average. I’ve discovered Take 6 that way and Rage

Against the Machine. Two of my favorite bands.

Gl: What is the smell that you smell that sets you off?

SC: Attitude. | think attitude i is real crucial for me and its a part of talent. But there’s a lot of talent, but talent without attitude doesn’t do it for me. And

technique doesn't do anything for me at all, | don't how fast a musician can wiggle their fingers. You! know I've been a trained musician since | was like five-years-old, | can wiggle my fingers. I've got all that technique down and | understand how

utterly worthless it is. | need it, | use it, because |

couldn't express myself. You know, | couldn't _ demonstrate attitude without it, but it's not the thing.

guitarist can wiggle his fingers and go up and down.

It means nothing, utterly useless. If he does it with a |

certain amount of beauty, okay, you're halfway there. Attitude is the thing that makes it the deal, that’s the X-factor.

‘been carefully taken care of from beginning to end...from

It's not the deal how fast a.

Feature

[Continued from Page 17] | production, they are fixing bugs, tweaking Al, and tightening — gameplay. |

The only thing left to complete in Spyro, besides all the — painstaking work that all the skilled artists and programmers are doing, is to create the sound and music. The sound effects are all being handled by programmer Chris McNulty in . conjunction with Mike Gollum of Universal Studios. And for — the music, Insomniac went to who some would call one of the _ greatest musicians in the world, Stewart Copeland.

This tale of Spyro's creation is an interesting one that — takes a talented group of individuals who not only need to get along, but need to become a cohesive group. And after Game _ Informer's visit to Insomniac it is easy to see that Spyro has

paper to PlayStation.

The Insomniac Team (from left to right): Matt, Alain, Al, Craig, Oliver, John, Chuck, Jared, Keith, Ted, Dan, Chris, Alex

The Players Insomniac Games

Ted Price, president — Besides handling the business side, Ted also acts as art director, wireframe creator, and special-effects animator.

Al Hastings, vice president, software — Al is a well-respected game engine designer who single-handedly created the gameplay engine for Spyro the Dragon.

Brain Hastings, vice president, technology — Brian designs the tools that make the creation of Spyro possible. Most notably the tool known as Karma.

Craig Stitt, artist — Craig spawned the idea of Spyro and also serves as a full-time artist creating the Cyclorama backdrops (i.e. skies), wireframes, and textures in Spyro.

Alain Maindron, animator — Alain almost single-handedly created all the animations in Spyro, and also contributed greatly to level design.

Chris McNulty, programmer — Primarily works on the sound effects with Universal Studios’ Mike Gollum.

John Fiorito, artist — John's production design drawings helped create the unique art styles found in the various worlds of Spyro.

Matt Whiting, programmer — Designed the camera and control systems for Spyro. Dan Johnson, artist — Uber wireframe creator.

Chuck Suong, artist — Hi-res artist who creates all the artwork used for Spyro including magazine covers and marketing pieces.

Jared Hardy, systems administrator — Combs over code to insure graphics quality (e.g. polygon dropout) and maintains network.

Alex Schaeffer, artist — Texture madman.

Oliver Wade, animator — A recent addition to the team, Oliver is creating all the animation for the Crystal Dragons.

Universal Mark Cerny, president — Level design and analytical theory. Michael John, producer — Level design and project management

Sony Computer Entertainment America Seth Luisi, producer — The long arm of Sony and overall good guy.

Legend

PlayStation «Nintendo 64

® Game Boy

€ Game Boy Color © Sega Saturn

3D0

@Army Men 3D

- BattleTanx

@ TOCA: Touring Car Championship € Uprising X

Acclaim

€ Brain Drain

€ Bust-A-Move 2

* Constructor ***

o Extreme G 2

*'Jggy's Reckin' Balls McGrath Supercross '98 @ NBA Jam 99 *'*

< NFL Quarterback Club '99 @ NHL Breakaway '99 *** «t Re-Volt *** < Shadowman ® South Park ***

< Turok 2: Seeds of Evil > 9WWF: War Zone ***

Accolade

€ Big Air

Hardball 6

4 Redline ***

4 StarCon

«€ Test Drive 5

* Test Drive: Off-Road 2

Activision Apocalypse

€ Asteroids

«t Nightmare Creatures Quake Il *** @Tai-Fu

4 Tenchu

€ The Fifth Element

* Vigilante 8

€ X-Men

ASCII

< AirBoardin' USA

Armored Core: Project Phantasma

« Backstreet Billiards

4 Bass Landing '**

4 Clock Tower Il

@ Hit Back

@ Master of Monsters: Disciples of Gaia

Atlus

4 Bomberman World 4 Brigandine

€ Karia

*' Snowboard Kids Il € Tactics Ogre

€ Trap Gunner

Bandai * Tail Concerto

Capcom

€ Capcom Generations 1942 Series

Capcom Generations Ghosts & Goblins Series

4 Capcom Generations Street Fighter 2 Collection

€ Darkstalkers 3

* Disney Puzzle ***

€ Freestyle Boardin’ '99

€ Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter

€ Mega Man Legends

Pocket Fighter

Resident Evil 2 Dual Shock Edition ***

Resident Evil Director's Cut Special Edition ***

Rival Schools

_ Robotech: Crystal Dreams

4r Star Gladiators Il

Crave

» Caesar's Palace

"^ Milo's Astro Lanes € Redneck Rampage Shadow Madness VR Pool 64

Cryo ® Roadkill € Sportscar

Crystal Dynamics

@ Akuji The Heartless

€Gex 3

® Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver @ Unholy War

EA 4 Dungeon Keeper 2 *** Knockout Kings

Ó Game Informer * August '98

»

n

Mec oan

After playing tons of games and going to all the parties, Game Informer is back from the pageantry that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). E3 is the largest video game convention of the year, and as would be expected, everybody came out swinging. Sony came loaded with tons of titles, Nintendo showed off its ^wow" titles, and Sega gave the American press its first glimpse of the future.

But there was more going on at E3 than the obvious: VM Labs courted third-party developers and showed its Project X chip for the first time; Square announced the November '98 release of Final Fantasy VIII; Sony showed its upcoming PDA, and (with a sleight-of-

hand) reduced the PlayStation's price down to $129; Nintendo gave `

a behind closed doors glimpse of Rare's upcoming GoldenEye "sequel" Perfect Dark; and the list goes on and on.

But one of the big things that couldn't be missed at the show was f

the lack of imagination in third-party titles. As you walked around the

show floor, you saw the "Mario" rip-off, the “Resident Evil rip-off, even 7*: the "PaRappa" rip- -off. But did this stop the show from being one of :

the most promising in years? No way.

For a complete list of "Games of the Show" and the “E3 Notables” ^ be sure to check out the mini-previews scattered throughout the rest - of the E3 section. But first, Game Informer breaks down the systems . '

and takes a look at the games that control their futures.

As is always the case, Nintendo’s first-party titles are the cream

of the crop. The focus of this year's E3 was Zelda 64, and with good « reason. As the pieces of the Zelda 64 puzzle fall into place, it *?8 becomes more and more clear that Zelda 64 will be a revolutionary å

action/adventure title destined to change the face of gaming. But as is the case with most Nintendo games, expect Zelda 64 to get delayed. This could affect Nintendo 64 sales in the long run, but Game Informer is guessing that Nintendo already knows of the delay and is planning a replacement.

Which is why Nintendo, for the first time in its history, showed a game behind closed doors. And what a game it is. The follow-up to GoldenEye, known as Perfect "$ Dark, features the super agent of the future, Joanna Dark. With high- . tech weaponry, faster, crisper graphics, and improved artificial intelligence, it could easily be said that Perfect Dark was the game of the show. Although Perfect Dark has been announced for a summer '99 release, Game Informer is beginning to believe that with the slip of Zelda, Perfect Dark will become Nintendo's holiday release. Of course, this is all speculation, but we have done our homework. Even Miyamoto seemed uncertain as to the release of Zelda, and Nintendo has a history of surprise holiday releases (Diddy Kong Racing).

Of course, the hidden title may not be Perfect Dark. Before the show, many a rumor stated that Donkey Kong 64 would be unveiled.

This did not happen; but it should be noted that Nintendo's booth featured a gigantic

A EA's booth focused on

the boxing game Knockout Kings

AirBoardin’ USA (N64) -

Omikron(PS) -

W - ASCII

Eidos

Clock Tower II(PS) -

ASCII Freestyle Boardin’ '99(PS) - Capcom

pm mechanized Donkey Kong that climbed out of the darkness and roared for attention. Why build a huge mechanical Donkey Kong when the game isn't complete? It's obvious. The game was going to be there, but was pulled for some unknown reason. Why? Game Informer is trying to find out.

Also on-hand at this year’s E3 was the Game Boy Color. While not playable, Nintendo did have the screen up and running and it was impressive to say the least. Look for Game Boy Color to hit the streets on November 23 with an MSRP of $79.95. On the Game Boy front, Nintendo is planning a gigantic marketing campaign for Pokemon, its blockbuster Japanese title.

In Pokemon, players try to become the ultimate monster trainer by capturing 150 monsters through exploration and trading with friends.

Other games to watch from Nintendo include Rare’s Jet Force Gemini and Nintendo's F-Zero X, while on the third-party front, it seems Midways’ NFL Blitz and Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA, Acclaim's Quarterback Club ‘99 and Turok 2: Seeds

of Evil, were the cream of the N64 crop. But we wouldn't count out Ubi Soft's

Rayman 2, EA's NHL 99, LucasArts’ Rogue Squadron, or Konami's Castlevania 64. . All these games look outstanding.

GAME BOY COLOR

Sony Draws First Blood — Continues Market Dominance

cee

... Sony started out this year's E3 with an early-morning press conference that was quite interesting. First off (now take this with a grain of salt kids, this is Sony speaking), the company threw out TRST numbers that showed the PlayStation running amok in “America, selling over 10 million units (which amounts to one in every 10 oi ^. households), and holding the top-selling console spot for nine straight months. Of course, everybody knows that Nintendo has lots of million-selling titles, but now ,. PlayStation has 13 of them, and more on the way, as a whole new and improved crop of games prepares to come out of the gates.

But before we talk about games, Sony had a couple of hardware surprises to whet the appetite. The first announcement was about the new PDA. This handy little (and we do mean little) device will debut in Japan this holiday season, and in North America in spring '99 for $30. The PDA enables gamers to take the PlayStation gaming experience on the road — in a sense. Besides being a standard Memory Card and calendar, the heart of the PDA is its ability to download game software from PDA- compatible games. This should enable developers to create applications that would, for example, let the player

take an RPG character from a game, nurture them on the PDA, and then reinsert the improved character back into the game. In theory, this on-the-go data can be put to use in any genre (be it sports, fighting, etc.), but the truly exciting part is that you can trade this information with your friends through a built-in infrared communicator. [For more info on the PDA check out G/ News.] Since everyone was already thinking about saving money, Sony then announced a new PlayStation with the * . Dual Shock Analog controller packed in. While the unit will continue to sell for $149.95, this move (which nobody caught at the conference) enabled retailers to drop the price of the PlayStation

„ packed with the standard Digital Pad to $129.95. Nintendo eventually

matched this price point (almost a week later) by giving retailers credit

Nat'l Hockey Nt.(PS) - ESPN NBA Tonight(PS) - ESPN

Feature

L.A.PD. 2100 A.D. "Madden NFL 99 Moto Racer 2

NASCAR 99

NBA Live 99 *** 'NCAA Football 99 NHL 99 NHL 99 *** Populous: In The Beginning *** ‘Small Soldiers

Tiger Woods 99 ***

Eidos ^Fighting Force 2 *** Fighting Force 64 *** »Ninja: Shadow of Darkness 'Omikron: The Nomad Soul *** ^Tomb Raider 3 Vermin

Electro Brain Duel Heroes ***

ESPN Digital Games ‘National Hockey Night ‘NBA Tonight

>X Games Pro Boarder

Fox Interactive »Alien Resurrection College Hoops ‘99 Fox Sports Golf '99 Fox Sports Hockey '99 »Fox Sports Soccer '99 'Fox Sports Tennis »Motorhead 'N20: Nitrous Oxide 'Team Losi RC Racer

Gremlin

Actua Golf 2

»Actua Ice Hockey Actua Soccer 2 Actua Tennis Body Harvest "Motorhead Premier Manager 98

> Tanktics

GT Interactive »Beavis & Butthead Do Hollywood »Duke Nukem: Time To Kill “Duke Nukem: Time To Kill *** Invasion From Beyond *** ‘Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus *** Rogue Trip Streak

Hasbro »Battleship *** 'Centipede *** Glover *Jeopardy! *** Life *'* Wheel of Fortune ***

Hot-B Black Bass With Blue Marlin

Hudson ‘Bomberman Hero

Interplay » Earthworm Jim 3D Giants *** "Messiah *** Star Trek: Klingon Academy *** »Virtual Pool 2 *** VR Baseball 2000 *** »VR Football '99 *** VR Hockey *** VR Sports Powerboat Racing 2 *** ^Wild 9

Jaleco 'Dragon Seeds

Kemco Charlie's Blast Challenge *** Knife Edge Shadowgate 64 *** Top Gear Overdrive ***

KOEI »Destrega

Konami Blades of Steel *** Castlevania 64 Contra Adventure Deadly Arts G-Shock Hybrid Heaven *** International Superstar Soccer *** Metal Gear Solid NBA In The Zone '99 *** Poy Poy 2 Silent Hill $9. Spawn ee Suikoden Il *** Survivor Day One

Lucas Arts Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

Game Informer « August '98 e

MGM Interactive Tiny Tank: Up Your Arsenal Tomorrow Never Dies WarGames: Defcon 1

Midway Body Harvest

Fastbreak '99 ***

GEX: Enter the Gecko Jackie Chan's Stuntmaster Micro Machines

NFL Blitz

NFL Blitz ***

Off-Road Challenge Off-Road Challenge *** Rally Racing ***

RC Stunt Copter

Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA Twisted Edge Snowboard ***

Namco «Pac-Man 3D Tales of Destiny

Natsume « Flying Dragon *** 4 Harvest Moon Legend of the River King *** Legend of the Sea King *** ® Lutia IIl: Ruins Chasers *** b Reel Fishing II *** * Ring Rage ***

Nintendo Banjo-Kazooie

€ Conker's Pocket Tales Cruis'n World

« Donkey Kong 64 ***

«€ Duck Tales 2 F-Zero X Jet Force Gemini King Emperor Leo *** Perfect Dark

» Player's Choice: DKC 1-3

ee

Player's Choice: Super Mario Kart «€ Player's Choice: Super Mario World € Player's Choice: Zelda: A Link To The

Past Pocket Bomberman «Pokemon Pokemon Stadium «€ Smurf « Snoopy's Magic Show Waialae Country Club Zelda 64

Nintendo/Rare Twelve Tales: Conker 64

ee

cean

GT 64: Championship Edition

Jest

Looney Tunes 3D ***

Looney Tunes Space Race « Snowracer

Space Circus

Viper

Paradigm/Video System Harrier 2000 World Grand Prix

Psygnosis

Attack of the Saucerman » Blast Radius

Colony Wars: Vengeance

Eliminator ***

Formula 1 1998 ***

-Global Domination

Kula World

Lander ***

Chl

ODT

Pro 18: World Tour Golf ***

Psybadek

Roscoe McQueen Sentinel Returns

Spice World

WipeOut 64

Seta Lake Fishing *** Rev Limit *'* St. Andrews Golf ***

Sirtek Joe Blow Wreckin Crew.

Sony

Bust A Groove Cardinal Syn

* Cool Boarders 3 Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped Dark Guns *** Diabolical Adventures of Tobu Jersey Devil

»Legion *** MediEvil NBA Shoot Out '99 *** NCAA GameBreaker '99 *** NFL GameDay '99 ***

Poy Poy 2(PS) - Konami

3 pi

Doom 64: Absolution *** a

Tonic Trouble(N64) — Ubi Soft Duke Nukem: Tim

to cover the loss, but first blood goes to Sony. So get 'em while they're hot, because eventually, Sony will only distribute the Dual Shock PlayStation (and Nintendo's new price point will only last until September).

Now let's talk about the meat and potatoes — the games. As you may have already guessed, the PlayStation will sport hundreds of new games this fall...some good...some not so good. But the PlayStation will have a number of extremely hot titles, including Sony's own Spyro the Dragon [see pg. 16], which could arguably be the game of the show for PlayStation. Throw in Crash Bandicoot 3 (which was shown without the new full 3D environments), Konami's Metal Gear Solid, Square's FF VIII (which will be available in the fall of '99), GT Interactive's Abe's Exoddus and Rogue Trip, Eidos’ Tomb Raider 3, Crystal Dynamics’ Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (which looks fantastic even in its early stages of development), and 989 Studios’ The Diabolical Adventures of Tobu, GameDay '99, and Rally Cross 2, and it's obvious the PlayStation's software is approaching its peak in performance.

Now those games are no-brainers; however, there is a slew of other great other titles that won't be household names. Take Bust-A-Groove for example — a dance, hip-hop game? Yep, and it's fun too. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. While PlayStation gaming will take a little extra homework to cut through all the junk, you can rest assured that there are a lot of interesting and good titles coming out for the PlayStation besides just the blockbusters. Too many, in fact, to discuss here, so make sure you check out the E3 Notables and the games featuring the E3 logo throughout the rest of this month's magazine.

Sega Starts The Dreamcast

Some speculated that the Dreamcast would be unveiled at E3, but few knew that it would be shown only behind closed doors with a limited technology demo. Word on the streets is that developers and retailers were impressed with what Sega showed, but as one industry pundit put it, “it's easy to tell us what we want to hear, but difficult to actually do it." That statement, more than any other, sums up the Dreamcast's future. First, what Sega said: Dreamcast will launch in Japan on November 20, with 5 to 7 titles. The U.S. launch, backed by a 100 million dollar marketing campaign, will occur in the fall of 1999 with 10 to 12 games at launch and close to 30 by the end of the — year. Once again, no game titles have been announced, and only five third-parties (Acclaim, Midway, GT Interactive, Interplay, and Microprose) are officially on board. However, Sega did state that it is actively | pursuing developers, and is only hindered by the number | of development kits that it can produce, since, according | to Sega, developer interest is very high. |

One of the main selling points to developers is the | fact that the Dreamcast will support Windows CE (making | it easy for them to port PC games) AND a Sega API. This ' gives end users the option to choose whichever operating — system they prefer, and since the operating systems are `

Tiny Tank(PS) - MGM Tales of Destiny(PS) -

Namco

ro m — 33, » P PA 22 = ge infotmailkugust 98 Li

Dragon Seeds(PS) - Jaleco Hybrid Heaven(N64) - Konami software-based, they will be easy to upgrade. Both operating systems will be set up to work with the Internet, as Sega is already establishing an online gaming service with its sister company SegaSoft Networks, Inc., the creators of Heat.net.

Of course, an operating system or network is only as good the processors it runs on. Obviously, the technical specifications of Dreamcast [See G/ News] are impressive, but Sega went on to say the Dreamcast is 10x more powerful than the Nintendo 64 and 15x more powerful than the PlayStation. To prove that the Dreamcast had the goods under the hood, Sega's own "Technical Evangelist,” Neal Robison, took Game Informer on a guided tour of some tech demos that were created and running on a development unit that operated at only "half the Dreamcast's power."

The demo began with a quick run through an overworld, then quickly moved on to smaller rooms that showed specific powers of the Dreamcast like animation, textures, and lighting effects. Neal stated that the Dreamcast could run up to 1024 x 1024 (if HDTV took off), but that all the demos shown were running 640 x 480. The demos were impressive, as most technical demos are, and Neal used a Saturn controller to maneuver about the rooms, evidence that the demo was running in real-time. The Dreamcast pushed tons of polys, textures, and lighting effects with ease. Pixelated textures became a thing of the past, particle effects were rampant, and it used lighting algorithms like they were child's play.

To further prove the Dreamcast's power, Neal showed us a demo of a shooter game that he and his team at Sega USA put together in 6 weeks (or so he said). Everything in the demo was rendered (on-the-fly according to Sega), and looked like an episode of ReBoot. Unfortunately, it was moving a little slow, but Sega was quick to point out that the system is only running at "half the Dreamcast's power."

Now, what Game Informer says: The shooter demo, which was supposed to be gameplay, in our opinion was just rendered CG footage, which isn't too surprising. Nintendo's tech demo for the N64 far exceeded anything it could actually do, as did the demo for the 3DO Me (which never materialized). That's what tech demos are about. As far as the hoopla about the tech specs are concerned, we see the power that the Dreamcast has, but for us it just comes down to a question of whether Sega can put together games that people want to play (a lesson we all hope the company learned after its horrible showing with Saturn).

Expect to see the Dreamcast in fall of '99 packaged with the unit, a controller (which holds two VMSs), a power cable, and video cables. It has been confirmed that the modem will not be built-in, and

that it will be a peripheral available at launch (as will be - | the case with Dreamcast's keyboard). The only piece of JA the puzzle that is unconfirmed, is whether the VMS will 208 be packed-in, or available as a peripheral. Game P. | | Informerthinks the latter. But that's not | so bad, since the word on the | Streets is that the Dreamcast | will launch at a tantalizing | $199. | Oh yeah, did we mention W that Shining Force 3 was ” there for Saturn?

Legend of the River King(N64) — Natsume Rayman 2(N64) — Ubi Soft

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Designs. 18135 Clear Creek Road. Redding, CA 96001. Complete details are also available inside every game packag

can be obtained at-our web site at http://ww.workingdesigns.com. or by sending a SASE to Elemental W Our games go to 11/ to 77

PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ELEMENTAL GEARBOLT is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Original Game © Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 1997. This game is published by Working Designs under license from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. English Translation © Working Designs 1998. "Working Designs’ is a registered trademark of Working Designs. Inc. All rights reserved. Shooters make better lovers! Web Address: http://www.workingdesigns.com For a dealer near you, call (530) 243-3417. "Electronic Gaming i 1 is a trademark of Ziff-Davis Inc.

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Sorcery '** ‘ j m " TRY MVO 1 T Spyro the Dragon BM Syphon Filter Twisted Metal 3 *** «WarHawk 2 ***

Xtreme 3D *** Po i er = | You are Joanna Dark. The year is 2023. And this Square Soft FK |. a1 ; is the game running on the second-generation

Brave Fencer Musashi j ;

“Bushido Blade 2 = |. GoldenEye engine. Heard enough? Well, there's Final Fantasy VIII *** " v DERI : '

“Parasite Eve more. Improved artificial intelligence gives the

Movie y " enemies emotions, such as morale and fear, as

M AA Meta : 2 well as improved dodging and stalking

- Magic Flute | E techniques. Throw in better weapons, super- bose et Ad i — smooth graphics, Terminator-style target

Saran P T ‘eS. identifiers, more gadgets, and the ability to move ra C , : : : y

«in Fisherman's Bass Hunter 64 ** uA E um e ES | objects like boxes, and you've got one kick-butt quoe) abd " e. Totum T ee SEN | sequel. You even get to ride on a hoverbike and

€ Montezuma's Revenge

MM MET Te 4 | blast enemies. But perhaps the most memorable laci l Ji id j " D : 1 + + he os j à: | Scene we've experienced is shoving an alien on

Tecmo a gurney down a hall and then picking off the d m wd enemies as they den Killing never felt B

€ Tecmo Super Bowl 2 *** e ; Tecmo's Deception Il T | looked) so good. -

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international Rally Championship @Mulan ''*

Nuclear Strike *** : : s Penry Racer Conker has made some vast improvements, including a

fs Pash t^ 4-player mode. But perhaps the biggest innovation in Conker, $ Rugrats "° besides the beautiful 3D engine, is the ability to play two

hen ike players simultaneously on the same screen. One person o ae plays Conker doing all the legwork, while the other plays as - @WCWINWO Live his owl friend, handling all the shooting and bombing duties.

MUHPUA T Also unique to Conker is that you can play the game as either

a

Yoda Stories *** Conker, the action-based style, or as Berrie, whose am kill everyone who

Tiger adventure is more strategy-based as she has her monster doesn't sell flowers. If Larry Flynt owned Batman & Robin " Eidos, this picture would Castlevania: Symphony of the Night *** friend do all the TY wor k. vd ! be a whole lot better.

Duke Nukem 3D ***

se Fighters Megamix ***

* Giga Pets Deluxe

® Henry

@Holytield Boxing *** Jeopardy!

Madden Football '99 *** «Monopoly

æ Mortal Kombat Trilogy

@ Name That Tune

3e NBA Live '99 ***

€ Resident Evil 2 ***

4» Small Soldiers *** Sonic Jam ***

The Lost World Jurassic Park *** € Tiger Casino

€ Wheel of Fortune 2

«€ Williams Arcade Classics X-Files '**

Titus WA Blues Brothers 2000 *** Silhouette Mirage 2s PS-X

«Hercules ***

dud ; R Camo! Tomorrow Never Dies — PS-X

Roadsters '98

Roadsters '98 *** Shadowman — N64 «Superman

- Superman 64 Dragon Seeds = PS-X v4 Xena

Ubi Soft Xenogears - PS-X 1 © All Star Tennis '99 g " THE LEGEND OF zean

Buck Bumble — 85 Brave Fencer Musashi - PS-X THE OCARINA OF TIME — ® F1 Racing Simulation 2

Hype: The Time Quest *** 1 ene

ee nmm2 "n Gastlevania 64 - N64 - @SCARS s s -SCARS “** Rally Cross 2 — PS-X «Shadow Gunner *** ise

-Tonic Trouble Syphon Filter -= PS- Virgin es » @C & C Red Alert: Retaliation Professional Sports Car Racing

Siva Sacer A daas f = NFLBurrz — N64

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sonar Sher Ser Story *** m ny i i FINAL FANTASY VIII — PS-X «Magic Knight: Rayearth mih ^ : '

«Silhouette Mirage STAT Co ARB d | QUARTERBACK CLUB '99 — N64

Thunder Force V: Perfect System . NHL 99 — N64

24 GameDay ‘99 - PS-X - | SOUL CALIBUR — ARCADE Game Informer * August '98

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i Bush 2: Extreme Racing USA ~ NGÀ a eder

Instead of confining itself to San Francisco, Rush 2 will tour sights such as Manhattan, Seattle, Las Vegas, LA, and Hawaii. In all, there are 12 new tracks including two speedway loop tracks and two stunt tracks. Rush 2 will have eight new cars joining the original 11. Collision damage will be more severe and there will also be more secrets to unlock.

This 3D action game features three heroes — |

SE Juno, Vela, and Lupus

] the Dog - that can be swapped at anytime, as you blast through hordes of aliens with an arsenal like no other. Two players can play on the PETT same screen cooperatively in the Quest mode, or hammer

Ao ee out their differences in the four-player deathmatch mode.

Where’s Gabriel? Gabriel!

SESS MOSSES PEERS LEEIESESP FUN

* ‘mm eve Fe Fencer Musashi —

\ e TERE Nb: Tut att and ready OO € " i E: Publisher:

mE t— IU -— rm d lh EMT This game revives classic UT] HET 4 ‘Thrill Kill de PSA i oo oe 4 action/adventure swordfighting and

3 s y à; ThE ET ~ if” AT "| spellcasting and adds great ir E | | graphics and smooth, responsive

c en 1 gameplay. Learning the different

Thrill Kill is a gruesome four-player fighting game that Med M NCC special abilities is one of the most resembles Tekken, but with an inferior fighting interface. o "vis PAP unique things about this new Thrill Kill is not meant to be a typical fighter; rather, Virgin 215 121 Square title. By pushing a shoulder developed it for gory entertainment purposes only. People — RESSSeEq EU BE button when you see an enemy, you will undoubtedly enjoy the gross fatalities, and disgusting EEE W P =e can learn its attacks. Plus, when the character and stage designs. However, graphical a ~ i =- game is published, it will come with . entertainment alone can only go so far. | iav eee a playable demo. of Final

Mondays through -— pe Te hoe I CE Fantasy VIII. Fridays, she's a criminal NH e i CELL sy OEIL ona Peel oao ae a Lr.

The Legend of Zelda: The 98

_ Dreamcast id o This powert Ocarina of Time |

Game Informer .

Feature =

Kula World(P ‘Spice Girls(P: i

S). Psygnosis sygnosis - nha Pakeman game-H = —7, i j i " ttc a ry Pokemon — Game Bo re TEES : " Silent Hill is an action/thriller, or more Publisher: eu | appropriately stated, a Resident Evil rip-off. u sner» ÁK v DEA You will encounter tons of monsters to waste,

Nintendo V » WR NEM puzzles to solve, and an intriguing storyline. Finally, the Pocket Monsters are coming E | | | So far the game seems pretty entertaining, Stateside. In Pokemon you are on a ~~ and we'll keep you informed on this title. quest to collect all 150 pocket c

monsters and become the world's

greatest monster trainer. To unlock

all the secrets of Pokemon you must: (1)

conquer the elements of a classic RPG

adventure, (2) raise virtual pets, and (3)

battle and trade monsters with friends

through the link cable. It's a ‘as at

waiting to happen.

So, all you ladies out ^ there. js shea natural Eidos wants to revive Dig Dug- edi ed it taker

style gameplay with its title,

$4 Vermin. While it doesn't really look "- pen apen a D E ike Di i | * Jackie Chan Stuntmaster -

much like Dig Dug, the basic play ~~. ix M Deed mechanics are similar to the Ci ae aide ri riari BE classic game. You control a a Publ isher: T Midway vermin that must eat through Mass: | This. game has many things going for it. Although still early, biological cell walls to trap and P f the control is fairly responsive and the graphics are crisp. destroy some poor soul's PR Gog.) ooo Picking up the different items and whacking enemies, along immune system. If : eee with other signature moves, make this one a stand-out. Plus, 8 you're successful, you E = EN X itsgotJackie Chan. cause a plague. s Tiinan

to the death for an exclusive date with Lara.

Gl's Jon Storm takes Tomb 3 through the paces.

ey Kong 64 Jet Force Gemini WarHawk 2

— tng "juarterhack € Club "99 — NGA. +

hin Publisher: Acclaim

If you thought '98 looked good, just wait till you see '99. Using the same engine as All-Star Baseball ‘99, QBC '99 takes N64 football into the stratosphere. The players are revamped, the animation is revamped, the Al is revamped (hopefully) — heck, everything is 10 times better. While this game was unplayable at the show, the graphics were enough to blow us away — it looks just like the real deal, and no, we are not kidding.

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POWER 0

Publisher: Crys Dynamics

Crystal Dynamics is wasting very little time with its sequel to Enter the Gecko. Because of this, though, the gameplay looks almost identical, with very little graphical or play enhancements. New additions are, of course, hilarious costumes, and the ability to ride animals like a crocodile and donkey. Crystal hopes to release this product in early '99 for the PlayStation.

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The new Test Drive, due out in September, will have hi-res graphics, 28 cars (like a '68 Mustang and '96 Camaro), and 18 tracks (plus one hidden). In addition to the Link mode, Test Drive 5 will finally use a split-screen for two-player races, where you

can choose

to race as a cop. Test Drive 5 is dual shock WELLE E LEE GUHD EA drinks too much? A

compatible and contains many shortcuts. drunken mach.

sz Dosimana. DD DT Blast Bi st Radius — - PS-K:!

Publisher: pire ia

You could practically call this Colony Wars 2.5. With tons of missions, nine ships to pilot, huge explosions that will make your eyes pop out, and 13 different weapons, this game kicks. It has superb control. Plus, there's link-up options and deathmatch arenas for the peers out there. Blast Radius is one grade-

A shooter. : scan

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x RT p : Li + ds " $ Eo " ima ed: ED GI takes a ride in Sony's i : stretch Humvee. Ó Game Informer * August '98

Spyro oh Spyro... Where for art thou dif ?

b Raider 3 is not just a Tomb 2 upgrade with hi- resolution graphics. There is more to this game than meets the eye. The levels are filled with indigenous life. Tigers and other enemies hide in the tall grass and wait to pounce on you when you'd least expect it. Plus, there are more vehicles in this thing than you can shake a stick at. Oh yeah, and Lara has new moves and weapons as well. Don't wet your bed sheets in anticipation of this one.

“This woman hacked oe E the original code for Motorcycle mama won't Tomb Raider. you lay it down.

| Game Informer .

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"Fr oes Onli oi hn "

Metal Gear Solid — PS-K.-,)

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. Thunderforce Sn | ees eee Publisher: Kpnami

Publisher: Working - Tp : mm. Metal Gear was way ahead of its time Designs p Se | d when it was released. Its time is now.

| : : - ; oe iama Play as Solid Snake and infiltrate a Thunderforce is an old-school side-scrolling shooter. f | “Ae hostile Alaskan military compound.

If you're unfamiliar with the series, Thunderforce 4 MEL T. n Being Duke Nukem does not work: you

features numerous levels, intense shooting, and TN BI a have to be sneaky and deceptive. This

weapons galore. Awesome 2D graphics, more pi: S0 C amm me may be the Game Of The Year. It’s that

insane action, and huge bosses are just some of the ae = good and then some. Heck, Sony even

additions to Thunderforce V. : ; 21 Ries SOAM (ct the cigarettes remain in the game, » i : 212 s" UN co it has to be good.

RASS, 563 vor DYA m JEn 7)

When Fox is out of town, Raccoon Reiner

Publisher: stands in. | GT Interactive acts

What can we say? The developers at SingleTrac —Hi "ub died ee ae pup are back in action with 12 zany vehicles in 12 "BH jr T T legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver = ma : PS-K: zany locales. It's got tight control, and it features a

cajun babe (oh, yeah). Nobody can do vehicular Publi she s combat quite like these fellas. They have tdown § Crystal Dynamics

to a science. r "HR. Legacy of Kain enters the realm of 3D TUM a gaming in this sequel. The control is on the „right track, and the graphics and storyline | are dark, gruesome, and cool. But, the gameplay is where this title truly shines. Thrusting Raziels spear through an enemy's chest, and then slamming the enemy to the ground, is just plain fun.

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Publisher: Son

When we first saw Crash 3 it was more like Crash 2.5 since the brand-new 3D environments were being kept under wraps. But in the new unseen 3D locales, " Crash rides a Jetski (that allegedly looks as cool as Wave Race 64), a motorcycle, and gets to fly in some vintage WWI aircraft when he goes head-to-head with

The girl next door. Actually, we wish she lived next door!

| the Red Baron. There are also new artifacts to collect and some new weapons like a bazooka that Crash uses to shoot chickens.

(9 Bust-A-Groove - PS-X Mission: Impossible - N64 Elemental Gearbolt - PS-X NFL Blitz - N64

Kartia - PS-X

Tomba! - PS-X _

@ International Superstar Soccer ‘98 - N64

Turbo Prop Racing - PS-X Banjo-Kazooie - N64 D Heart of Darkness - PS-X

(9 MLB ‘99 - PS-X NBA Shoot Out ‘98 - PS-X ) Gran Turismo - - PSX

) Gex: Enter the Gecko - PS-X

» WCW vs. NWO World Tour - N64 ) Blasto - PS-X

Resident Evil 2 - PS-X

) Tekken 3 - - PS-X

) GoldenEye - . N64

@ Banjo-Kazooie - N64

Q9 Moving walkways. hopping carts for all that worthless free crap.

Wider moving walkways to accommodate shopping carts.

} A really big blown fuse.

| Coffee fountains,

All nude models (tastefully done). Ð A huge wait staff providing free grub (press only).

La-Z-Boys for daily nap time.

@ Poolside booths (Game

Informer only).

[^ “Game Informer is 5 looking. for. your

| Top Ten favorite games. Please send

| your Top Tens to:

| Game Informer Magazine

| Attn: Top Ten

| 10120 West 76th Street

| Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Everyone. that enters every month will be |

| entered in a drawing to win a GI Secret |

Access T-Shirt! So get writing! |

unique, doen cds titles out the door.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Nintendo of America (NOA) "temporarily" dropped the prices of the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 to $129.95.

The pricing changes unfolded at the E3 in Atlanta with SCEA announcing the new PlayStation, packed with a Dual Shock controller, would sell for $149. SCEA was a little crafty with its announcement at a

pre-E3 press conference, as the company assumed members of the gaming press would catch on to the fact that the old PS-X configuration (packed with a standard controller) would likely be cheaper. The gears in the brains of the press (including Game Informer) began to work on the opening day of E3 and the news quickly spread that SCEA would offer retailers a rebate on existing supplies of PS-Xs packed with a standard controller. The rebate would knock the retail price down to $129.95. Everyone rushed to see if NOA would follow.

NOA had previously been quoted as saying it would match any of its competitors' price drops within 24 hours, but the SCEA tactics confused NOA. One NOA official was even quoted as saying, "They [SCEA] tricked us." Everyone waited and NOA finally announced a retailer rebate of its own, reducing the price of the Nintendo 64 temporarily to $129.95. |

Each company stated that the new price would be valid until September, but Game Informer believes that the $129.95 price tag will stick farther into the fall, or until another price drop is announced as the Nintendo 64 has already slid to $100 in Japan.

Nintendo has announced the creation of its first internal game development group in Redmond, WA called Nintendo Software Technology Corporation. Involved in this internal development process are some of the biggest names in the gaming industry. As already known, Rare and Left Field Productions are involved, but there are other significant players. Activision, Blue Planet, Blizzard Entertainment, Capcom, Core Design, Ltd., Crystal Dynamics, and Psygnosis are all a part of this huge move by Nintendo in an effort to further increase, and solidify its position in this round of the Hardware Wars.

“Our agreements with these world-class developers and publishers occur simultaneously with aggressive strengthening of our own ability to develop games internally,” says Howard Lincoln, chairman of Nintendo of America. “These strategic moves guarantee that consumers will continue to be able to play the best video games for years to come.”

This move is a major one for Nintendo, because it is the first time the company is opening its internal development doors to outsiders. Many will agree that this is a move long overdue, considering the average third-party Nintendo 64 title is far less entertaining and even less “sellable” than the average N64 first-party title. Now, with Nintendo right there to assist developers, it can consistently te better third- pliers games and more

Sony has announced the eagerly anticipated Personal Digital Assistant, or PDA. With an anticipated price point of $30, this item will double as a memory card, a calendar/clock/alarm, and a small Tamagotchi-like gaming unit.

Probably the most interesting concept for this item, however, is its ability to communicate to other PS-X PDAs via infrared technology. Just point and shoot. Other infrared interaction with TVs, etc. could be possible in the future. |

Examples of game applications include the enhancement of RPG characters while on the road, swapping of | game items without needing the game, real-life sims could be greatly enhanced using the internal clock (if it's | 9:00 PM, the game plays as if it’s 9:00 PM in the game), and other far-reaching prospects. There will be over | 12 titles that support the PDA at launch, and many more are on the way. |

Sony claims that programming for this unit is fairly easy, which should bring plenty of third-party support. |

| Look for the Sony PDA to launch next spring.

PIU WATCH +

Sega Dreamcast: The Real Story

At E3, Game Informer got a chance to take a look at the newest console to enter the foray: Sega’s Dreamcast. The most notable aspect of the Dreamcast is the Visual Memory System, or VMS for short. The VMS is a data storage device that doubles as a small gaming system and a PDA, allowing portability of games and continued play on the go. Suggested uses include the leveling-up of RPG characters, Tamagotchi-style time-lapse gaming, bringing data to use in Sega arcade machines, and other ideas. The controller will be the VMS house when attached to the Dreamcast, and each controller can hold two VMS cards. When plugged into the controller, the VMS is used as a small screen to input such things as sports plays. This seemingly minimal upside will offer much more independence in gaming, since your cheating friend can’t see what’s going on at all. The VMS will release in Japan on July 14.

Dreamcast Specs

Right now it seems that the new Dreamcast is poised to make a big splash, with super-fast calculating abilities and high polygon counts. Let’s go over the specs of each portion of the system.

Dreamcast CPU - Hitachi SH4

Features

e Clock Speed: 200 MHz e MIPS: 360

* FLOPS: 1.4 GigaFLOPS

Highlights

1., The SHA CPU calculates Floating Point Operations Per Second (FLOPS) - the key element.in building 3D graphics — and integers simultaneously, creating spectacular 3D graphics at rates which surpass current high-end PCs.

2. SH4 boasts 1.4 billion Floating Point Operations Per Second.

3. The SH4 CPU, coupled with the Dreamcast DMA bus technology, allows for the highest graphics transfer rate possible, accelerating the transfer of code from the CPU to the graphics engine for realistic, graphically rich video games.

4. The Dreamcast console system CPU is a dedicated component designed to concentrate on graphics creation and speed.

Dreamcast GPU - NEC/VideoLogic's PowerVR Second-Generation Graphics Chip

Features

* Triangle/Quad Engine

* Real-Time Lighting, Fog Effects

e Super Sampling, Anti-Aliasing

e Specular Highlighting

* Texture Filtering

e Bump Mapping

e Perspective Corrosion

e Alpha Blending

* ARGB Gouraud Shading

* MIP Mapping: Point, Bilinear, Tri-linear, Anisotropic

* Polygons Per Second: 3 Million

Highlights

1. Dreamcast’s graphic performance surpasses any other gaming platform, for the most dynamic 3D images and the fastest graphics and gameplay.

2. Dreamcast can produce 200 mega-pixels per second for fast, crisp, full color images.

3. Dreamcast features a new Digital Video Encoder which enhances and adapts the high- quality graphics the system produces to be seen on standard NTSC televisions.

4. The chipset was optimized by NEC, VideoLogic, and Sega, specifically for the Dreamcast system to work hand-in-hand with the Hitachi SH4 CPU and its high speed graph- ics bus to deliver total system performance.

5. Modifier Volume Technology, never before used on a console, allows for dramatic real-life 3D lighting effects.

6. Dreamcast supports DirectDraw and Direct 3D APIs, along with Sega's 3D game library, to provide a familiar design environment for game developers.

7. PowerVR second-generation technology supports industry standard design tools, including Alias, Softlmage, and 3D Studio Max.

8. Bump mapping allows for true-life textures such as grass and asphalt.

9. Tri-linear and anisotropic filtering allows crisp, sharp images across a depth of field.

Dreamcast Audio - Yamaha RISC CPU and Digital Sound Processor

Features

* 64 Channel Studio-Quality Sound * Reverb

* Delay

e Surround Sound

* True 3D Sound

e Audio Capacity: 64 Channels

* Dedicated Memory: 2 MB

Highlights

1. Dreamcast’s sound system is supported by memory dedicated just for audio so game developers don't have to steal memory from other components or compro-

mise sound quality.

Dreamcast.

2. Dreamcast is capable of CD-quality, studio-produced audio features such as reverb, delay, surround sound, and true 3D audio.

3. Unlike other console systems, the Dreamcast audio chipset is a dedicated com- ponent, taking audio tasks away from the CPU, allowing it to concentrate on graphics and the overall speed of the system.

4. The Yamaha chipset has been optimized for seamless integration with other Dreamcast components for exceptional total system per- formance.

Dreamcast Dual Operating System - Microsoft Windows CE/Direct X Suite, Sega API

Highlights

1. Dreamcast is the first to allow developers to leverage their knowledge of console and PC game design, giving consumers the best games from the most experienced console and PC publishers.

2. Sega's API includes graphics, audio, CD-ROM system, and peripheral control provid- ing console-centric developers superlative tools for publishing new Dreamcast games.

3. Game makers can leverage Microsoft's global resources in developer support when creating a game for Dreamcast.

4. Key system tasks enhanced by Windows CE and Direct X include:

* Support for Input Devices

* Advanced Sound Properties

* Expanded Memory Capabilities

e CD File Management

* Networking Capabilities

5. Windows CE supports standard Internet protocols, Winsock, and Direct Play API to allow online gaming and Web browsing.

6. Windows CE modular architecture means OS components and Direct X services can be eliminated if not required, or replaced by developers of Sega libraries.

7. Windows CE software development kit is built around the Microsoft Visual Studio Development System Version 5.0 and refined visual C++ development system-based tools.

Game.Informer * August '98 e»

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HATS HOT * TECH TALK « MU ION NASHUN + * TOP TEN + TRIVIA « Sune à à ds E anii

Daytona 2 will be hitting arcades shortly in Japan. While this was expected, it was a surprise to hear plans for a slot at each set of controls for Sega's new VMS card. Japanese gamers. will be able to customize their cars and data on the VMS, then bring it to the arcades to race with.

SNK recently announced plans to release a 16-bit monochrome handheld called the Neo Geo Pocket. The system will feature many of the same features as the VMS, but expanded, and will have its own library of games. The system is expected to be available around October in Japan and will be coming out sometime next year in the United States.

Rare Co., Ltd. announced an upcoming handheld version of Twelve Tales: Conker 64, called Conker's Pocket Tales. The most interesting thing about this game is the RPG concepts being incorporated into the game. The game will probably be released on the Game Boy shortly after Conker 64 in October.

Capcom is currently working on a Tetris- like game with Disney characters. This isn't the first time Capcom has used Disney characters, so if you're an SF or RE nut, then don't freak out. This is a revival from

Capcom's past. We believe that this mysterious game may be something like Super Puzzle Fighter Il Turbo, but with Donald and Mickey in place of Ken and Ryu. It should be interesting to see what Capcom does with the license after this £ame.

five

Sega announced third-party developers with games underway. The five companies are Acclaim, Midway, Microprose, GT Interactive, and Interplay. So...what games could they be making??? Hmmmm...

In an impromptu discussion with Sonic creator Yuji Naka at the Dreamcast unveiling, GI asked him about the future. Specifically, we asked him if the first game we were to see from him would be Nights 2. Mr. Naka quickly responded, “No, no. Sonic first. Then, maybe, Nights 2.” Sounds like his ducks are in a row.

Game Informer * August '98

$

Fans of Capcom’s Resident Evil take note because there are enhanced versions of Resident Evil Director’s Cut and Resident Evil 2 on the way, complete with Dual Shock compatibility and more. Like Capcom games of old, these titles will tentatively carry the “Special Edition” (SE) moniker. They are scheduled to release in October.

Resident Evil Director’s Cut “SE” will be a two-disc set with the first disc containing the original Director’s Cut game with a new musical score and Dual Shock compatibility. The second disc contains secret data that opens secret characters, weapons, and locations for

m oth the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2. In other Ba, words, if you spent hours trying to get Tofu in RE2, you'll find & the data on this disc.

à The other game, Resident Evil 2 “SE” will obviously į have both the Leon and Claire discs with Dual Shock | features, but it will have new modes as well. An “Easy” mode will start the player with the unlimited rocket launcher, while the "Extreme Battle" mode will be a timed game with limited ammo and tons of enemies. Welcome back again (and again) to the world of ' survival horror.

Konami of America and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced that they will form a strategic alliance to market and advertise Konami's upcoming Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation. With creative help from Chiat-Day, SCEA's advertising agency of record, the companies will develop a multi-million dollar advertising campaign that includes both television and print. Metal Gear Solid is scheduled to release for PlayStation in late October.

"We are pleased to continue our tradition of strategic marketing support for key titles with this partnership," said Phil Harrison, vice president, third-party relations and R&D, SCEA. "It's a benchmark title that breaks the mold for interactive entertainment and it's only on PlayStation."

Recently, SCEA formed a similar alliance with Namco for the launch of Tekken 3.

i

s A A

Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) inked a deal with Whoopee Camp Co. to create a new development studio, Deep Space Co. Whoopee Camp released its first À PlayStation title, Ore TOMBAT, in Japan a few months ago. Whoopee is headed by Tokura Fujiwara, former home development head for Capcom where he developed such classic games as Ghosts & Goblins. Fujiwara will take the role as executive producer at Deep Space while retaining his duties as president of Whoopee Camp.

Although SCEI has funded the independence of many of its internal software companies, Deep Space will be the first external corporation supported by Sony. Deep Space will immediately start working on some new, genre-breaking adventure game. Sony Computer Entertainment America will publish Whoopee Camp’s Tomba! in July. Tomba! 2 should appear in Japan in the next 6 to 9 months.

Prepare for the Pokemon Invasion!!!

Nintendo of America plans to unleash one of the biggest marketing juggernauts in video game history in the United States this fall. It’s called Pokemon, and its popularity in Japan has spawned thousands of toys, the number one kids’ show in Japan, and over 8 million copies of Pokemon

duni s miam tactician

software sold in the first month. Nintendo has made an enormous fortune Fu on this game, and plans to use some of its earnings to push the cultural >... phenomenon on children in the United States. You might recall the “seizures” incident involving the cartoon in Japan, where many were hospitalized. Yup, this is i the same Pokemon, but the particular show that had the dangerous - — E Uo. << animation will be edited for release in the United States. A ^amina | 3 9 P J A good thing, too, since the show will be aired in all 40 atariha.co o." B | E of the major TV markets (that's 8696 of the nation's v 9) Pp y viewing audience). This site has everything you could possibly vu For the U.S. launch, Nintendo is readying everything it's got. want to know about Atari. It even contains a 4 . The TV show, the Game Boy game (two of them, red and blue, picture of Atari's mindcontrol unit, and an with different monsters) on September 28, a Nintendo 64 game, interview with the winner of the Swordquest:

tons of toys and dolls, and even a Pokemon Pikachu - a minigame

that features the star of Pokemon, a little monster called Pikachu.

Based on how you treat Pikachu, he will love you, dislike you, or anything in between. You can buy items for Pikachu, which makes

him happy, and he has various activities like brushing his teeth,

eating, playing, and other things. Plus, parents will be much happier with

Pikachu than with Tamagotchi, since you can turn the sound off, and he does not

require constant attention. Plus, he never dies. Look for this pocket sized Pikachu on

November 2.

So parents, especially, get ready for the Pokemon invasion. If you have young children, rush out immediately and get as much of the stuff as you can, because it WILL be what they want for Christmas. (If Nintendo has any influence on your children, that is.)

Fireworld contest. -

- sell in its first 31 days in Japan?

e How big is the processor for Sony's new PDA?

» re e (e @ What new system did Nintendo unveil at the 1995 Winter Consumer Electronics \ ifa —— Show in Las Vegas, Nevada?

First Look: Fighting Force 94 © What reference book does Gl rely on

Fighting Force on the PS-X was plagued with tons of loading - heavily for its Trivia questions? time and we can only assume that the cartridge version for the [Answers on the bottom of page 35] N64 will do away with most of that nonsense. Fighting Force, : developed by Core for Eidos, is not your typical fighting game in the sense that you must cruise through seven different levels, instead of being confined to an arena. As one of four selectable characters, you have the option of exploring the 3D levels by yourself or with a friend. The characters have 40 to 50 moves, plus each has unique special moves. But the game does not end with hand-to-hand combat. There are weapons like knives, guns, and rocket launchers. Fighting Force 64 will be coming out on September 15.

Nintendo Acquires Rights to Top-Selling PC Game

Real-time strategy games are perhaps the most popular genre on the PC. Sometime next year, Nintendo will bring Blizzard Entertainment’s fast-paced, addictive StarCraft to the Nintendo 64.

In StarCraft, players have to explore 30 heart-thumping missions of intergalactic war as the Terrans, Protoss, and Zergs. Once you defeat all of these pernicious aliens and humans, you'll become supreme

dictator over all of the universe. The fun doesn't stop here though, as Nintendo intends to include original levels to explore and new modes of play for N64 owners.

While these additions sound cool, one question bugging G/ is whether Nintendo will also incorporate Internet play. After all, being able to compete against dozens of other people is part of the reason the game is so much fun. Could StarCraft use the long-lost modem cartridge that Seta designed for its Mah Jong game? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned. ers and steel-ripping hyper saws. You could also steal the weapons of destroyed enemies, What game is it?

combinations. In all, there es 116 different combina- tions. Some of the weapons featured were flamethrow-

[Answer on the bottom of page 35] Game Informer « August '98 Ó

TEGH TALK

tasy VII toys (Red XIIL, Sephiroth, and Vincent) have

Shipped to retailers and should be available now. Unlike the first

_ offering (Cloud, Barrett, ‘Tifa, and Aeris), thése toys will: be ‘sold. individually and not in a boxed set. Bandai also mei “trying to secur thé fights. foi P Final Fantasy lg toys:

at

> Nintendo’ s upcoming Nintendo 64 golf game, Waialae Countr Club, features a virtual the aiia 1 course ‘of. the. same ‘name. Waialae is-now the site of

the PGA Tours Sony Classic |

tournament in February. Oops!

» SISA, America's number three software publisher for the PS-X, has altered its name to 989 Studios as a symbol of its increas- ing independence.

989, the number of its street address in Foster City, CA, will handle all marketing of its prod- ucts while the sales and distribu- tion will still be conducted by Sony Computer Entertainment America.

» Konami has acquired the rights to develop Game Boy and Game Boy Color games based on Todd McFarlane’s comic book creation Spawn. The standard Game Boy version is due this winter and look for the Game Boy Color game next spring.

Capcom also garnered the rights to Spawn for an upcoming arcade game due in late 1999. The game is said to be a fighting game that allows four cabinets to link together, opening up some unique two-on-two or three-on-one battles. Expect to see existing Spawn characters, plus a few new creatures designed exclusively for the game. A home version based on this game will likely follow in 2000 for the Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, and an unnamed future Sony console.

tioned that it is _

replica of i

+ MUTATICIN TS

TRIVIA + DES zd NY aif a

* TOP TEN +

From the amount of email Game Informer receives, we know that MGM Interactive's Tomorrow Never Dies is a very

| anticipated PlayStation title, but the anticipation may grow to | anguish as the first Bond game for PlayStation is not scheduled | to arrive until April 1999.

Tomorrow Never Dies developer, Black Ops, and MGM obviously know the importance of this title, so a little extra time is needed to include everything in the game. More on this title will obviously be surfacing in the coming months. Until then, enjoy some fresh new screens.

next year.

The sequel to Legacy of Kain looks fantastic, but gamers are more than likely going to have to wait to play it. A source within Crystal Dynamics told the Game Informer editorial staff that Crystal doesn't want to deal with the holiday season and would rather wait until early next year for release, basically the same time frame that Gex: Enter the Gecko fell into this year. In closing, the source said, "What! We get an extra few months to work on the game? Boy that sucks!"

If this is true, we respect Crystal D for its decision, and hope it makes Kain an even better title, but we still want to play it real bad. Real bad.

THAT GAME! «

TECH zn

Tomorrow Never Dies

TALK

* MUTAT

Two of Nintendo's titles originally scheduled for the Disk Drive Nintendo 64 (DD64), Super Mario RPG 2 and 4 Earthbound 2, have been confirmed for cartridge release

During the Q&A session at Nintendo’s E3 press conference, Nintendo of America president Howard Lincoln volleyed answers to endless questions about the appearance of the 64DD. Lincoln stated that the DD64 would not appear until there was sufficient quality software to launch it. As another two titles switch from the DD64 format to cartridge, the known list of DD64 titles continues to dwindle — as do the hopes of ever seeing the DD64 hardware.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver's Raziel

send correspondence to: Snail Mail

*

RELEASE DATE TITLE PUBLISHER SYSTEM Game Informer Magazine! July Attn: Dear Gl 07.27.98 vanansa. F1 World Grand Prix 10120 West 76th Street BOOTE. eee Waialae Country Club Eden Prairie, MN 55344 O AE ER WWE: War ZONE a inao ea ei e da aaaea CCUM A STE N64 E-Mail 07.28.98... suns Spee Wna NETTE EE ca ee Psygnosis ........ PSX deargi@gameinformer.com OT BUDE andate Tonie WOU o ose pawn eek dead Ubi SOf NM. N64 WWW Home Page - August www.gameinformer.com 05:01:98 2, 5 ded Battleship o e Sa ke SEI lt xk verd Has DOs casi rien: PS-X 08.03.98 ................ Command & Conquer: Retaliation........ Westwood ....................... PS-X To contact Secret Access or 08:03:98... nens Silhouette Mirage ............. see. Working Designs.............. PS-X Access & Allies please send 08.017,98 ions NCAA Football 99 ..........l eee eee Electronic Arts................. PS-X correspondence to: OSAT OB 5. nos Iggy’s Reckin' Balls ............ Ll. ACCIalmmi: utes etes N64 Snail Mail 08:11:98 cci: Sehtihel.Retums- sce sess RES Psydnosis «.....5. eee PS-X Game Informer Magazine 08:15:98 ims ds Elimihatol- 222 eso eR eR Rd PSVEIOSIS: cec aeo tee PS-X Attn: Secret Access 08.24.98... ACAR S: ai ar nr neiaa et eea sao AUDI SON arei D A PS-X 10120 West 76th Street 08.24.98 ............ Tales of Destiny ...... iie Maine asia PSX _ Eden Prairie, MN 55344 08:25:98... sse Deadly Arts: GASP i. cios c cae apa’ KONG scietis N64 E-Mail 08:25:98 5... Flying" DIaBoli « 222 I ebrei NatsUlTiez. s neas N64 codes@gameinformer.com a 08:25:98... esee GEX: Enter the Gecko ............Ls.s. MIOWay.. scs enter N64 " : v 08:25:98... cose Int’! Superstar Soccer ‘98 To contact Swap Shop or A.PB. please 08:25.98.......... 5 Madden NFL 99... ces uus » ath a sae Ho send correspondence to: 08:25:98: ous NFL OBC 99 Te x ide ases S Sd 08.25.98... ais Mn TII S ON Snail Mai i ; Game Informer Magazin 08:25.98...........5..5 Brunswick Bowlin£ .................. Attn: Swap Shop 08.25.98 ................ C-The Contra Adventure ..... 0.60.0 eeee 10120 West 76th Street. 08,25.98 ironiis Cardinal Sym s. «soe Seb esa gero Eden Prairie, MN 55344. (075,971. NENNEN Hardball scc Sir Poe digas à *E- Mail 0825,98... 5 LUNAR: Silver Star Story .............. Working Designs code equest@gameinformer. com 08:25.98 naiinis POV POV 2 fos 2a us ecu RS KONI c s i " 0B:31:08.,.. cacsccsnncuts Bomberman Hel a5 iius axe neca Nintendo: nsus 08,31:98 odo Heart of Darkness. cvs oc bee Ses Interplay si siete September 09:01:98... Madden NEL- QO sra opc ree ng 9:01.98... NFLGameDay 99... oss spo wine 09:08:98... ee Roscoe McQueen ......... lees 09:08:98......... e Spyro The Dragon ci ice ee wa Attn: e tomer Service 09.15.98 RENT Fighting PONE? Less esc d sarsa es j | | 10120 West 76th Street 09:15:98... Küla World! 2.1 v REX Er i 5 | Eden Pri airie, MN 55344 09:15:98... enses Mega Man Legends IPIE cu Mm mme Or Call ^ 09.15.98 VS CONTINUO UT j | mammen | MAETI. 8 Customer service hours: 09.22.98 Tecmo's Deception II IB T : Monday through Friday, 09.25.98 WCW/NWO Revenge ....... lese THO cea iecit "Yeu : 9:00 am — 4:00 pm (Central Time) 09.25.98 ....Devil Dice | JE — (612) 946-7266 09.25.98 ................ G. Darius Ter Outside Minnesota make sure to tial 09.25.98 Monster Rancher 2 "AME ^ area code (this is a toll call), — 09.25.98 ...The Fifth Element visi ^ eL EE To Subscribe please send a check or 09.25.98 Tider Woods S8 crisis rania 04 Exe Electronic Arts | u ca | | money order for $19.98 to: | QUOS eoe Trap DNO Luisa dead vac e uk AUS HEAD oM PME UM | TN Game Informer Magazine 09:28:98... ne Pokemon doc cech aiden dou e Dr EET d Nintendo Attn: Circulation Dept. 09.28.98 10120 West 76th Street 09.28.98 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 09.28.98 www.gameinformer.com/sub.html 09.29.98 P end f. 200 MHz EUN 2. 8 million 09.30.98 3. 32-Bit 09.30.98 4 Vi 09.30.98 09.30.98 [All dates subject to change. Call your local retailer for more details.] RE TAE onere TR T RE EE E E EE E E ee er ke Cyborg Justice

Game Informer ¢ August '98 ©

Review

* Size: 128 Megabit

* Style: 1 to 4-Player Sports

* Special Features: Endorsed by Carlos Valderrama; 6 Modes; 9 Stadiums; 54 National Teams; 5 Difficulty Levels; Create Player; Through Passing; Commentary by the BBC's Tony Gubba

* Replay Value: High

* Created by: Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka for Konami Sports

* Available: August 16 for Nintendo 64

Bottom Lire:

bsp ant DAS hE

on ER ot

Say your prayers.

Use a header to

AN DY “Konami proves once again that it really

THE GAME Homere KNOWS how to do soccer. ISS ‘98 is still the

EC ~ Concept - best soccer you can buy. Period. Of course, frensiwe Wo) 4 Side break b 7 it still needs a license. Which un- What a save!! Now the fans won't — TY ——— fortunately, is a big problem. The most have to shoot him. Graphics noticeable addition to ISS '98 is the

j 9 improved animation. The players lobby

with the refs, and even get in the faces of the other team when they think somebody — Y... was overly aggressive on a slide tackle. Playability ^ The playcontrol is pretty much the same,

Sound

W Offensive K mme

SUPR 8 orrenzioe B M Van acrena t, |a Frances: _ Tr R.Calres 9.5 but has been slightly tweaked, and the Í RU | a “Entartainmant auto player change is now only an option. You can adjust direction and loft. | Ma nown fot Entertainment Ifyou ke soccer, ISS "98 is stil one of the T in soccer. But when you takı ni's Ini | best sports games on the Nintendo 64. | =E os : ie pese "7 | Superstar Soccer ‘98 (ISS), you may think this sport 8.75 ode ee mum v a religion in Japan as it is i ( | : eS Jost Except for the Worl oe: rr F

E including an li ona PAUL “The only thing that this game doesn't

Helgini

,. BER dan t THE GAME PRoresson Nave going for it is the real players, but you as against t : : Concent C8n change every name if you take the uud been popping up in many nes is the Scenario 9 p time. The player create is much improved Helgini mode. Can you lead Urugu ave though you trail by —— TY as are the endless wealth of roster

ee Graphics ^ options. Another welcome addition is the ne goal and the "Ace". ted? Or can you, as 9.5 scenarios, but my only complaint is that

RAS tugal, protect a one-goal lead ? powerful German team ~ ound "here ds not m of uel Like last E j hei " R year's version, the playcontrol is superb, D ES p your temitory m n but the computer seems far more oniy a few minutes to go? c ô scenarios and you will Playability intelligent. You must stay on your toes to

=, t undoubted unlock some a a IN D " "n ; Ea . Again, enti ty (CUN Even if you don't care í Entertainment amazing. Players’ movements and cm! 9 T- € l3 about ISS. First a gestures are realistic and even hilarious.

field i Forget about EA Sports' soccer games, Medics get ready to load up down the eld s h 9.25 | ISS '98 is where it's at for fans of the the dead. control configurati ; you will soon | execüte through passes, game."

headers, and give-and- st of ease. ISS also ilium t and holler as they

e are all sorts of cut- JON “Last year's ISS 64 really broke the mold l THE GREEDY camer ÍN soccer games. This new update is ~ Concept practically the same game. Small ' ; additions and improvements complete the A fi ventu ——— =Y .— package, but honestly, if you own the frantically jump ug and dow : A : IM o Graphics original, there's no need to buy this one. pulls out a yellow card. And a l IOUS Injt 9 The graphics are smoother, but the basic : MEEN you just might see a couple of medic onto tl Sound — a puer through Ad and i 1 " one button give-and-goes is all the same. REIRO WILI he TAS never helps, carry the wounded off in a stretch - 1. do d There is still a problem with switching ap ren EUN IP, Easily one of the best sport 1 4, lo Playability defensemen, which some people don't - "oz 10 O OMNEA i 9.25 like, but overall ISS '98 is very well eres i (gs een d abcess Entertainment: balanced. The lack of a pro license once wet 5 Ist agat l " gs 8.25 again hurts Konami, and | think it's time à v" AM synchronized SV 'e F : for Konami to shell out the big bucks,

Badana ie because for true fans, editing players is a fedis: 15 go buy yourself huge pain in the butt. It's a great game,

Total but too close to last year.” 3 1 OVERALL

ky | Mies "Stop it you moron, we Te on the same team.’

LES

nter

BE the — dream.

Take control and find your

destiny in this epic adventure from the makers of oden and Vandal-Hearts.

to explore the Demon Tower Learn and use explosive spells with breathtaking graphic effects

EVERYONE

til : 2 PlayStati ENS Maybe even find true love pin

e Net od | Help build up your hometown | and attract new settlers

pr

fw binsectf a hunter You could get yourself killed taking the tower

| 1-900-896-HINT (4468) www.konami.com $.95 per minute charge. $1.25 per minute support from a game counselor. Touch

tone phone required. Minors must have parental permission before dialing. Hints are available 24 hours a day. Live support Monday - Friday 8:30am

to 5:00pm CST only. Prices and availability subject to change. US accessibility only. Azure Dreams is a trademark of Konami Co., Ltd. PlayStation

j and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital KONAMI. Software Association. Konami is a registered trademark of Konami Co., Ltd. ©1998 Konami of America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

* Size: 256 Megabit

* Style: 1-Player Action/Adventure

* Special Features: Game Design By Shigeru Miyamoto; Multiple Weapons Including a Staff, Bomb, & Boomerang; Horse Riding; Character-to-Character Interaction; Real- Time Cut-Scenes; Weather Effects; Unique Combat Interface

* Created by: Nintendo

* Available: November 23 for Nintendo 64

70% Complete

We hold nothing against Shigeru Miyamoto or

his products, but we pray to the gaming gods that he can finish The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time before the end of the year. Nintendo of America says that Zelda will be released on November 23, and no later. We would love to believe this, but Nintendo's recent track-record, and some valuable information gathered at E3, make us believe that even December 31 may not be a foreseeable release date.

Game Informer had the rare opportunity to sit down with Miyamoto and talk Zelda for well over an hour. He's a brilliant designer, producer, and visionary that wants to make the best game . possible (like any other individual in the industry). | Miyamoto is probably the only person in the industry | who can honestly say that he has as much time as he | wants to finish any given product. If something is out | of place or doesnt look just right, then it's back to the | drawing board. Miyamoto is picky, almost too picky | when it comes to Zelda. During our session, Miyamoto pointed out that the game was still far from complete. He said that the E3 burn featured 70% of the game, but none of the 7096 was actually finished. Someone at Nintendo has to tell this guy that time does matter, especially when it comes to the U.S. audience. How long have we waited for this game? Three years. Three long years.

But if it does come out on November 23, and let's hope it does, then be prepared to enter a different kind of gaming experience. This Legend of Zelda plays quite differently than any Zelda before it. For the purists out there, Zelda 64's gameplay will more than

—— MX

likely aggravate, as will the new 3D setting. But really...it couldn't have been done any better. It's something that you'll have to accept.

All of the original qualities of Zelda have returned and are revamped. | for the better. Dungeon exploring features tons of tricky puzzles and M feats to overcome. A good example that Miyamoto showed us was set in the first cavern. Link needed to find a way up to a higher platform, but there was nothing to jump on, or anything in the cavern that appeared to be useful. So Miyamoto pulled up his inventory and whipped out the slingshot. Using the slingshot brings up a first-person mode. In this mode, Miyamoto looked around the cavern and pinpointed a ladder hanging from the ceiling. He aimed carefully, and fired off a shot that hit a bolt that was securing the ladder to the ceiling. The bolt broke and the ladder dropped down. Miyamoto then climbed up the ladder to the platform. We were amazed. And if all of the puzzles and tricks in the game are this impressive and well hidden, then be prepared to spend a lot of gameplay time on this product.

The bosses were equally impressive. They ranged from a huge serpent jumping in and out of a lava bed, to huge rock creatures that made Link look like a mere ant in comparison. One of the interesting gameplay features includes the Rumble Pak, and is actually similar to the water glass in the Jurassic Park movie. When a big creature is

approaching, players will be warned by the Rumble Pak. As it

approaches, the vibrations of the Pak will increase, telling you to j

quickly flee.

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time will more than likely blow your socks off when it is released. It has the classic feel, more platforming, and even more RPG traits (like talking to characters and returning to towns to gather more clues). Let's hope that Nintendo can be trusted when November comes rolling around, otherwise it better have Perfect Dark ready to quench our N64 appetite.

Men

| © 14

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to wait until the sequel to Turok is released, a time when the big

question of whether or not it blows GoldenEye out of the water is finally answered. In our opinion, the first Turok came very close to topping GoldenEye. Turok changed the way we looked at shooters. it removed the overused corridor/hallway level designs and, by setting players in enormous real-world environments, broadened our perceptions of first-person gameplay. We’re sure that you’d all agree that Turok featured some of the most innovative and effective heavy weapons around. In comparison to GoldenEye, Turok did lack in the gameplay department. GoldenEye simply crushed Turok with variety in missions. This year, though, developer Iguana has reinvented the play in Turok 2 and promises that it will dwarf both Turok and GoldenEye.

At E3, we actually had a lengthy hands-on with Turok 2, and we were amazed with what has been implemented thus far. Our two biggest complaints are no longer an issue. The enemies don’t regenerate after being killed. instead, the enemy bodies fall to the ground and stay there “dead as a doornail” until the end of a level. And secondly, and this is a big secondly, a 4-player deathmatch mode has been implemented allowing everyone to get into the action (even as a raptor). We don’t have any details on this mode yet, but we’re sure that Iguana will load it up with tons of multiplayer maps, and different choices similar to those we fell in love with in GoldenEye.

Turok 2 is also home to new weapons ranging from a hand-to-hand talon, to a rocket launcher that fires out sidewinder missiles (and just wait until you see the effects Iguana has in store for this weapon). One new weapon is a mine gun ~ it shoots out timed charges that sit idle on the:ground and then explode after a few seconds. If you time a shot correctly, and an enemy is in the right position at the right time, you'll blow its legs completely off. There are also a few swimming-only weapons like a harpoon gun. The most impressive weapon we witnessed was the returning Tek Bow. It works the same as in the original Turok, but is now equipped with a sniper scope that allows you to zoom in...zoom WAY in. Unlike GoldenEye, sniping will actually

T E all goes as planned, then we only have another three months or so

You'll even have to worry about . your surroundings. Here, lava rocks . take control. ;

js pop.

ne out GoldenEye, here comes

~ Turok 2 still utilizes the famous N64 fog effects, but now for realism, net,

Preview

* Size: 128 Megabit

* Style: 1 to 4-Player Action

* Special Features: Task & Mission-Based Levels; Exclusive Storyline; New Shapely Female Advisor Named Adon; 4-Player Deathmatch; Twenty Weapons; Improved Effects & Lighting

* Created by: Iguana for Acclaim Entertainment

* Available: October for Nintendo 64

75% Complete

ls oe

NUS

Yes, that is a shotgun. A very big shotgun.

4-player Turok.

play a big role in taking down enemies. Some of the creatures in the game are protected by armor. The only way to kill them is to zoom way in and snipe them between the eyes. If you are just a little off, the arrow will either bounce off, or stick into the helmet or armor.

All of the enemies in the game are much more ferocious now and look ten times better. You will not be able to outrun a raptor. If it sees you, then you better hope that you're ready to kill it, or you'll have some serious problems. The raptors continue to thrash on your body at lightning speeds until you die. There is no escape. But if you can take them down efficiently, and without taking on too much damage, then you will be rewarded well. The new death animations are very im- pressive. Streams of blood gush out for head shots, and if you hit in a nerve, its body will fall to the ground and shake furiously for a few seconds until the heart stops beating.

The big question that still remains is gameplay, and we think you'll be quite surprised with what is in store. As in GoldenEye, Turok 2 features tons of missions for each level, and get this, some missions require returning to other levels for completion. Each level features several warp chambers. The

.. The Tek Bow returns and is now equipped with a scope for sniping.

chambers must be activated by a switch hidden somewhere on the level, and

will take you to special areas in that level and other levels. We also saw a level that involves saving a lost child, and another that has you hunting for a bunch of switches to turn on beacon lights.

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil did more than enough to impress us at E3. Its graphics range from awesome particle effects for fire, to tiny details like fire tracks being left by a walking fire beast. The bosses look amazing and are very innovative, especially the boss that is an entirely sentient room that breathes in and out, spitting enemies from its orifices. Right now, this game looks like it has everything, but the question as to how well it will ali come together in the end must remain unanswered until we do our review in October.

: The n new enemy y animations are very | Il: impressive, but are unfortunately also very deadly.

Preview

* Size: 96 Megabit

* Style: 1-Player Shooter

* Special Features: Auto Lock-On Targeting; 5 Ships (A, V, X, Y-Wings & Speeders); Intelligent Enemy AI for Group Formations; Ground Troops; Tracer Fire; Various Mission Objectives

* Created by: LucasArts

* Available: Fall for Nintendo 64

o the lean and mean Star Wars fan, Rogue Squadron won't make too much sense. : As we all know, Wedge Antilles is the leader of this prestigious squad, but LucasArts 60% Complete — : > x idi

forget about the wiles Mon. and poor choice of pilots. The basic premise of this

flight/combat sim is based on the first lev Shadows of the Empire, what many claim to be

the best and only significant part of that game. Basically, LucasArts said, "What happens if

you fly over that hill?" and BAM! Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was born. Each level in this long

awaited title is massive in size and features much more action than any in Shadows. There will

be mission objectives to complete like search and destroy, reconnaissance, rescue, and so on.

in ihe distance, The graphics have also been enhanced and include real-time lighting and special effects.

Madea a These enhancements are especially noticeable in the smoke effects, engine glow, and tracer

Cometic fire. Plus, when you shoot your lasers, you will actually see the glow from your shot streaming shown. . across the ground.

Rogue Squadron made its debut at this years E3 and was a major disappointment. The

gameplay just wasn't there. It was basically like Shadows, but with larger levels. Whether

LucasArts didn't want to show its hand is unknown, but we hope this is the case, and the game

is actually further along than we saw. But with the bad, there was also some good.

. The five different vehicles are very interesting to say the least. Each, as it should be,

. has different abilities. The X-Wing is the standard vehicle in this title, while the other

ships play the more significant roles. The A-Wing is used for quick maneuvering and

fight canyon runs. The Speeder is used for low-flying battles. The highly acclaimed Y-

Wing has the most firepower, and the new V-Wing will more than likely turn out to be

the best for all of these scenarios, but eeu won't be accessible until ho end of

in the.near future it jumps over P besur in P

| include a sophisticated ; ap neplav. Where c e so called Squ dron” | targeting system. -~ -

After heading to the hills, Wedge feels the need to ~ shoot some cave walls.

After being demoted, Wedge heads for the hills Multiple camera views and cinematic ; cut-scenes are all _ part of the package.

Preview

x * Size: 256 Megabit * Style: 1 or 2-Player Sports * Special Features: Late Hits; Arcade & Season Modes; NFL & NFLPA Licenses; Hurry-Up Offense; 5 Difficulty Levels; Game Editor; 18 Offensive & 9 Defensive Plays; Controller & Rumble Pak Compatible * Created by: Midway Home Entertainment * Available: September 30 for Nintendo 64

75% Complete

"andit fin

new breed of video football is on the way, and the leader of this new movement is Midway, or more specifically, Blitz. This new breed features fewer players on the field, and no rules of conduct. Both EA and Sony will have their own versions of no-holds-. barred NFL action, but- "Midway pioneered this | frenzied concept in the. arcades. Encouraging. late hits vp and featuring amazing physical feats, Blitz epitomizes quality arcade- style gaming — fast action and tons of fun. = "i ; After being spoiled by the arae version of Blitz, a ! op a many of us at GI were skeptical as to whether Midway -- re = - T AT would be able to pull off a successful port to the N64: Our worries are now over. Despite the fact that the version "we. played is still early, we are confident that fans of the arcade version will not be disappointed. The look of the players and fields are intact and the speed of the players sprinting up and down the field is as fast as ever. The frontend is also intact.You can enter codes before kickoff and all of the personal records like QB rating, sacks, interceptions, etc. can be kept on display for bragging rights. If you are unfamiliar with Blitz, it’s a 7-on-7 contest featuring all of the NFL i teams. The smaller lineups help open up;

50

Body slam, ouch!

| | YARD RETURN

IST DOWN nls 20.

dozen in this cue cerol is quite simple. Hik and point the joystick in the direction of thé receiver’ uit he: been highlighted. Then, press the pass button and hope your [^ receiver can survive the crushing blows that will follow. 1 x

Blitz for the N64 has a couple of additions that the arcade f H

version does not. First, there is the Game Editor that allows you Hitting out of bounds is strongly encouraged.

to customize gameplay to your liking. Second, is the new Season mode that lets you compete in an entire season of NFL mayhem as your favorite pro team.

With other games like All-Star Baseball, NBA Courtside, and International Superstar Soccer, the N64 sports library is finally showing signs of life, and Blitz will be a definite contributor. Even if you consider yourself a hardcore sim football fan, the new Season mode, fast pace, and responsive control of Blitz should be pleasing.

~ Nintendo 64 P Preview

* Size: 64 Megabit

* Style: 1-Player Action/Adventure

* Special Features: 3 Save Slots; Rumble Pak Compatible; Multiple Camera Options; Character Interaction; World Exploring; Interesting Combat Interface; Vehicles

* Created by: DMA Design for Midway Home Entertainment

* Available: 4th Quarter for Nintendo 64

60% Complete

| |

j

|

í Ay | 77]

Yes, the main character is . a loser.

green-blooded aliens approach!

[* Hello. May I poke you in the eye?

If you've been saving pennies for this product, then you must be quite ticked by now, but we can assure you that Body Harvest: will be coming out by the end of the year. This was one of the first games announced for the Nintendo 64 (like Zelda), but somehow or another it slid way out of release range and hovered at the edge of extinction.

When it finally appeared, we expected | some sort of shooter game, but Body | Harvest really surprised us. It’s more of an action/adventure title than anything else. When you first start, you'll be placed smack dab in the middle of a massive world that ] is completely open for exploration. As you | journey, you can converse with village folk, 4 triggering key events that link the non-linear gameplay aspect with some sort of story. w Most of the triggers are mission-based, but

| sometimes it appears that time plays a | factor as well. On one mission, we were sent to investigate strange occurrences at | a military base, but before we made it to our destination, an alien invasion was in full swing at a city all the way across | the map. And of course, our assistance was | needed. Doh!

Body Harvest does keep you on your toes with the mission aspect, but not quite as much as with the combat scenarios. At any 2 time during gameplay, an alien invasion | can commence. For this, you will have to be | prepared. They don't teleport down one by | one. They come in parties of between five and ten. When they land on Earthen soil, it's up to you to blast them to pieces. For the most part, you will be equipped with a standard j laser blaster, but upgrades and other weapons like machine guns are available. The combat scenes are easy to navigate and come filled with wonderful blood effects.

Take cover! The |. flaming aliens approach!

| 42 ) Game informer * August 98

Nintendo 64 Preview

* Size: 128 Megabit

* Style: 1 to 4-Player “Sports”

* Special Features: 4-Player Battle Royal & All-Out War; Special Seasonal Events; Belts; Over 80 Wrestlers (40 From WCW); Crowd-Supplied Weapons

* Created by: Asmik for THQ

* Available: September for Nintendo 64

90% Complete

Time To Get Yours .

a He takes a licking, but keeps on ticking.

Have you been stabbed in the back? Abandoned in the ring as a swarm of black- | clad behemoths pummel you into submission with an arsenal of tables, chairs, and clubs? If this has happened to you, or to your favorite | grappler, then it’s time to get yours!

Revenge is at the heart of WCW wrestling, and every week, a match is set up which “| pits former partners as foes. THQ’s latest

_ N64 offering, referred to simply as | “Revenge,” lets you control more than 80 wrestlers in the quest for vengeance. | Granted, only 40 or so are from the WCW or | NWO, but the hottest Japanese wrestlers are | also included for those who follow the sport on more than one continent.

Just like in last year's World Tour, players perform a series of grapples and holds, plus -| limb and joint attacks. The 4-player death- x Match also returns, but this time with an

| option for all-out war. Players choose teams | of up to 10 wrestlers, and as one is defeated, | another runs out into the ring to take his | place. The last man standing wins. | If you find yourself losing a match, but | you're popular enough, you can call on the fans for some help. Plead with them, and your supporters just might hand you a | weapon. These instruments of death include: briefcases, trashcans, chains, pipes, chairs, "+d tables, and bats. With the Edit Wrestler “4 feature, you can migrate wrestlers between | organizations, and the instant replay feature . | lets you celebrate a sound defeat. Been | betrayed lately? This September, you can | get your revenge!

p at ul Should | throw him now? or wait till later?

the e Wk deformed" charactor mode, and chase after 20 rare and di Pr items while pulverizing your opponents.

nds in the privacy of their own homes! ” and choose between a classic — and lin aie ie environment. Gain

Rumble Pak compatible

Super deformed mode. Collect Virtual mode. Choose between all 200 items to build the most classic 2D fighting or brawl in a powerful fighting machine ever! fully 3D environment.

RATING PENDING Serious Fun™

ees

PlayStation

Review

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1 or 2-Player Racing

* Special Features: 11 Boats; 6 Tracks; Power-Ups; Dual Shock Compatible; Horizontal & Vertical Split-Screen; Hi-Res Graphics; 5 Gameplay Modes; 3 Difficulty Levels; Memory Card Save

* Replay Value: Moderately High

* Created by: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for SCEA

* Available: Now for PlayStation

If you are bored with all the racing games that put you on x one motionless track after another, Sony's Turbo Prop Racing Bottom Line: 9 5 could be just the game to wet your whistle. Instead of lifeless e concrete, raging rivers and powerful waves mark the path to the finish line. The first thing you will notice about Turbo Prop is the hi-res graphic display. The backgrounds and boats look sharp, and once the current starts to gain momentum, the water effects become solid too. The water not only looks good, it 24 ey feels good too. You'll want to turn | (aN | your boat one way, but the river will push you in. another [| —— direction, spinning your boat 180 a degrees. You might want to SMEs Ed blame it on poor control, but then hes WN p CE you'll remember, "Hey, I’m on a — friggin’ river.” And that's part of the beauty of this game - mastering the control of your boat amidst the turbulent chaos 2 of whitewater. Once you get the <i | AMD

^ 3 i l hang of steering, try racing in Tracks can also be raced at night. o, g* yA) first-person, but make sure you Ride up the falls. iu have a bucket nearby, it gets very bouncy. a To help you beat the rest of the 16-boat field are different power-ups. In

addition to turbos, there are red power-ups that cancel out your turbos. If you hit three red power-ups in a row without acquiring a turbo, your boat will shut down for about two seconds. Then, there are blue clock power-ups that freeze the clock for five seconds. Lastly, if you collect five gold power-ups, you get a chance to upgrade your boat.

Turbo Prop also has some nice multiplayer features. The horizontal split- screen has no noticeable slowdown and you can see far enough to line up the next turn. There are also three multiplayer modes: Championship (also for one-player), Multiplayer, and Tournament (which allows three to five players to compete).

Certainly, water-based racing games are hard to come by these days. N64 owners have Wave Race 64 and PlayStation owners were forced to settle for Powerboat Racing. So, it seems a game like Turbo Prop, with crisp graphics and powerful water physics, could find a nice niche in the densely- packed racing genre.

pus 13716, fhe la 3 Orl y Une

ES

Ride the lava in Hawaii. p a

4 Pej

Em. NW 44 ] Game Informer * August '98 y

“This game doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It’s almost exactly like GameDay, but 5-on-5. | keep hearing how ‘It’s not like GameDay, it’s really not,’ but Xtreme is just some harder hits and fire under the feet. Big deal. GameDay's entertain- ment blows away Xtreme, and there’s no reason to own both. As a huge fan of Midway’s Blitz, | don’t even draw a comparison between Blitz and Xtreme, because Blitz is fun, Xtreme is boring. The concept of 5-on-5 limits you offen- sively and defensively, and the sound is lame. | probably won't play this game again. You could rent Xtreme for one weekend and get your entire fill. The graphics are great, but that's it."

"There is a lot to like about this game. It

has the players, sweet animation, deadly tye game PRorEsson

hits, and the playcontrol is tight. Yet, there is still the stigma around this £ame that cannot be shaken - it is GameDay with five guys. In the wide open arcade style that this game is trying to present, there is not enough of the razzle-dazzle. Where's the WR screen pass? Or the double reverse? There's not any of that crazy playmaking ability that would have made this game far more enjoyable. The losing the helmet and the torn jersey ani- mation can only go so far, same with the fairly lame trash talking. Sony should have just added a 5-on-5 option to GameDay.’

“I'm going to avoid Xtreme and continue to get Blitzed in the arcades until the next batch of football games is released. | don’t know what Sony was thinking. The 5-on-5 concept is a great idea, but the gameplay needs much more than the standard football dynamics to be entertaining. If | was the producer on this project, every player would have a machine gun, and random power-ups like flying and 10-inch cleats would be spread across the field. Xtreme is a fairly decent 2-player game, but last year’s GameDay and Madden are still 10 times more exciting. If you want arcade-like football action, then break out the Genesis and play Mutant League, or wait and see how well Blitz turns out for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64.”

THE GREEDY GAMER

Concept 7

Graphics

9

Sound 6.5

Playability

1.5

Entertainment 6

OVERALL

PAUL

Concept 6

Graphics

8.75

Sound 6

Playability 9

Entertainment

5

OVERALL

REINER

THE RAGING GAMER

Concept 4

Graphics

8.5

Sound 4.5

Playability

1.25

Entertainment

3.75

OVERALL

Review

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1 or 2-Player Sports

* Special Features: 5-on-5 Gameplay; Full NFL & NFLPA Licenses; Endzone Dances; Special Moves; Trash Talking; Play As Any Position; Injuries; High-Resolution Presentation

* Replay Value: Moderate

* Created by: 989 Studios

* Available: Now for PlayStation

Bottom Lire: 6.5

! The passing E cm interface is identical to

B GameDay.

Fire signifies ^ that turbo is pressed.

5

It's lonely T in the ` wa endzone.

af CreateFreeAgent

7^ JERRY * GRECIA ai

Aa POINTS BEMAIBINE-

Fans will be grateful |

; for this TACKLE BREAKING: option.

<>

Bem Playofffree i Uu 4 poss > Mie i

^(MMPA ppp Sase C anns-e C7 cy crues

Playstation Review

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1 or 2-Player Strategy/Role-Playing Game

* Special Features: Save Anytime; Instant Battle Restart; 2-Player Duel & Card Trading; Weapon & Phantom Creation; Character Designs by Yoshitaka Amano

* Replay Value: Moderate

* Created by: Atlus

* Available: Now for Sony PlayStation

Bottom Line: Tu

trategy games are few in number but timely in release, and each is heartily engulfed by the squad of geekdom. This genre is usually the most complex in rules and technique, creating frustration for first-time console users, and ultimately, those with little patience. The strategy genre is ruled by pen and paper players, middle-aged single men, and non-athletic teens. The number of players

ANDY

Concept

Command & Conquer are still played religiously and are considered the pinnacle of real-time and turn-based PlayStation strategy games. Now, its time to add another to the list — Kartia.

Atlus has kept this game hidden in the shadows away from any kind of attention. Why? We don't know. Kartia is a solid game in every respect. Plus, it will lure in the hardcore Final Fantasy fans by the box art alone. All of the character designs and artwork are done by Yoshitaka Amano, whose most recognized work is in Final Fantasy Il and Ill. The gameplay is also very similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. Kartia doesn't really get into the promotion of character classes or anything like that, but rather, focuses on the ability to create weapons and phantom allies on the fly. If you are losing a battle, then create a phantom to help out. Heck, create two or three if you like. But be warned. The computer is very smart and will counter your tactics by developing its own powerful team.

Another unique feature is the ability to play 2-player games. We all wanted to play Tactics head-to-head, but Square didn't implement this feature. Kartia has it though, and it goes much deeper than just combat.

Graphics 8.5

Sound 8

8.75

CE

JON

then launching

Grouping the enemies, ] , is one of the S.

a massive spell i best tec

Concept 8.25

Duran fWhat Misty told us was true, j

Sri tons, The items that you find or create can also be traded with friends. Swap EOT pirita eX en. 1M your weapons for strange power-ups and gear. It's fun, but very

dangerous. Don't hand out your best weapons though, or your buddy ds

may just use them to defeat you.

Kartia is just as impressive as a 1-player game as it is two. The story and plot are excellent. At first, the story is like any other RPG, but then it quickly changes into a mystery with intelligent writing and interesting characters. The battles are also very nice in design. The basic parameters of gameplay are identical to those in other strategy games. First, position your character. Then, attack, cast a spell, or create a phantom. Move on to your next character, then when finished with your team, turn the dice over to the CPU. It's neccessary to think, as hasty play will more than likely kill you.

Kartia features two different characters with two completely different quests to play through. Both are quite long and come loaded with some great story material and combat scenarios.

The story will i hooked and in

8.75

CE

OVERALL

REINER

THE RAGING GAMER

Concept 9.5

wil ehanee hw

"Taroct

WC] common Mies

8.25

Sound 8

Playability

9.25

Entertainment 9

Game Informer « August '98

46

THE GAME Homere NETE

are few but proud. Games such as X-COM, Final Fantasy Tactics, and 8

Playability 8.5

Entertainment

THE GREEDY GAMER

Graphics 4.5

Playability 9

Entertainment

Graphics

rm s forbidden to take this Encrypter School! 1 K

from the

"Fans of Shining Force rejoice! Kartia is to quench the thirst of strategy/RPGers everywhere. While | don’t like Kartia as much as Final Fantasy Tactics, it is the next best thing to come down the pipe. The game engine is quick, with easy to follow menus and more than adequate graphics and animation. But one of the best parts of Kartia is the multiple quests...so to understand the whole story you need to play the game twice - awesome! The battles are also very entertaining since you can create various phantoms to build up your legions of warriors. This, of course, is the heart of Kartia, and with all the fodder onscreen, the battles last quite a while. Plus, there's a 2-player Vs. mode. Watch for this one!”

“Kartia does a lot of things differently: you can create weapons and armor mid-battle; you can move, equip, and attack in a single turn; you can save mid-battle; you can alter the landscape with spells; everyone has 100 hit points only; and you can create phantoms to help in your attack. With all this variety, battles are very entertaining. Gone is the MP system, in its place is the unique arrangement of Kartia texts for spellcasting. RPG fans will love Kartia, but fans of FF Tactics will note that Kartia lacks challenge. The game is fun, not frustrating. Battles are fairly easy, there are no random encounters or the necessity to level up, and Kartia text is easy to come by. But the story is great and the characters are cool. Definitely check it out."

"Kartia is a fascinating release that boasts a steady mix of storytelling and gameplay. Kartia also dives into the innovation pool by introducing the ability to create allies and weapons. This aspect of the game is very cool, but | would have liked to reuse the characters | created. Having them limited to one combat scenario is weak. The only problem | see with this title is the difficulty. It never really challenges you to use formations or planned tactics. Any strategy usually works. The overall experience in Kartia is magnificent though. You can challenge a friend and trade items in the 2-player duel, play two completely different quests (both are lengthy), and unlock all sorts of secrets in the arena. RPG and strategy nuts MUST check this game out."

bi Soft

ERTAItN MENT

00:33:32

RATING PENDING

NINTENDO:

M

—

[5 D © E S = ES

CONTENT RATED BY

ESRB

Ibi Soft.

©1998 Vivid Image. Graphics and sound effects Ubi Soft Entertainment / Vivid Image. Ubi Soft © & @ 1998 Ubi Soft Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved, All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. PlayStation and 6

PlayStation

€

PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Multi-tap required for 3 or 4 players on the PlayStation® Game Console. Nintendo and N logo are registered trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. ©1996,

Nintendo of America Inc.

PlayStation

Preview

* Size: Unknown (Possibly 4 or 5 CD-ROMs)

* Style: 1-Player Role-Playing Game

* Special Features: Improved FMV; New Americanized Look; Real-Time Facial Expressions; Dramatic Storyline; New Summon Spells, Characters, & Weapons; More Science Fiction Themes ze

* Created by: Square Soft for Square Electronic Arts

* Available: Spring '99 for PlayStation

(November 20, 1998 in Japan)

40% Complete

won't have anyt until the demo is r Musashi. But we did see a lengthy video at E3 that showed off the new look and drastically improved gameplay graphics, as well as the FMV cut-scenes. It appears that Square is striving for realism this time around. The character models look more "Americanized" and no longer have the manga-like eyes and facial features. The character models are all very impressive and look very much like those in Parasite Eve. One interesting addition that we noticed was the facial expressions during gameplay. All throughout the game the characters' emotions will play a big role, and you'll actually be able to see what they are feeling by looking at their faces.

Only two characters have been revealed so far. The main character is Squall Leonhart. Squall is just a pup and is probably in his late teens. He has short brown hair, a nasty scar | eyes, and it appears that his weapon of choice is an imp gun/sword combo known as the Gunblade. The second character is Laguna Loire. Laguna looks slightly older than Squall. He has long

black hair and green eyes.

A few battle scenes were shown (and man, do they look amazing). There is no difference in size between the characters in walking or combat scenarios. The lighting and graphical effects in combat are far more impressive than those in VII. Just wait until you see the special moves and Summon attacks! They'll blow your socks off! Whether Materia will return is unknown, and how the combat chemistry will work an even bigger mystery. Square didn't show off everything in VII until the product released. The same approach will probably be used with VIII.

The one crucial element that Square really hyped was the plot. Final Fantasy VIII

is going to sweep you off your feet by placing you deep within a dynamic love story /, with major plot twists and bends. Square promises to keep you hooked from the f í opening scene. At first we were a | j little wary of this, but we have faith in

Square’s ability to keep it genuine

and not campy. Final Fantasy has

always had the perfect marriage of

gameplay and story. We predict the

same from VIII.

48 Game Informer « August '98

Playstation

Preview

Size: 1 CD-ROM

Style: 1-Player Action

Special Features: Cool Story; Numerous Attacks; 2D on PS-X; Awesome Japanese Art & Design: Huge Bosses: 7 Larg Levels ! Created by: Treasure for Working Designs Available: September for PlayStation

AY

zd f i a remoto icem

80% Complete

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1 or 2-Player Shooter

* Special Features: 6 Acts; GunCon Compatible; Animated Cut-Scenes; No Weapon Reloading; Continue Game; Classical Music Score

* Replay Value: Moderately Low

e Created by: Alfa System/ SCEI for Working Designs

* Available: Now for PlayStation

ANDY | REINER JON Concept: 8 7.75 8.25 Graphics: 8.5 8.25 8.5 Sound: 9 8.75 9 Playability: 8.5 8.5 8 Entertainment: 8.25 7 8

Overall:

The Art of Shooting

Fortunately, reviews in our At-a-Glance

à section don't have a name attributed to

them. Otherwise, the person who scored

| Judge Dredd an 8.25 would be even more

embarrassed than he already is. Dredd is not a bad shooter, but Elemental Gearbolt is lightyears ahead in level design and artistic

, inspiration.

The story and the game begin with an animated sequence, manga style. After the

| mood is set, it's time to blast some stuff to

high heaven. Enemies come at you from all sides, plus you will want to be on the lookout for hidden power-ups and secret paths. The backdrops depict settings from vast desert plains to huge open lakes

...] surrounded by mammoth mountains and

Andy, The Game Hombre

"Elemental Gearbolt is just a great gun game (even though it's short). The anime cut-scenes are awesome, the game engine is super smooth with lots to shoot, and the music is fantastic."

Reiner, The Raging Gamer

"Elemental is short (six levels), but is loaded with tons of secrets, great anime cinemas, and a thumping soundtrack. It is also one of the few games that actually delivers some sort of distance shooting."

Jon, The Greedy Gamer

"Yeah! Elemental hits you in all the right spots. It's got a cool story (the first time through), the music is awesome, and the graphics are really cool. it's not very long, but check it out."

50

modern castles. After each “act” is cleared, you are given another animated cut-scene to enjoy. But visual stimulation is not all. Elemental Gearbolt also has a wonderful classical/new age music score that sets an eerie mood throughout the game.

Plus, Gearbolt incorporates a unique Trade Off scoring system. After each act, a screen pops up displaying all the points earned for that act. With the Trade Off system, you get to decide how these points are spent. If you are playing a two-player game, you will probably want to put all, or most of those points towards your score. Or if you want more powerful weapons, you can use those point values to advance your level and life gauge.

The only thing wrong with Elemental Gearbolt is that it's very short — the six acts go by rather quickly. For more insight into this shooter, check out the reviewers' scores and comments.

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1-Player Action

* Special Features: Gothic Setting With Skeleton Hero; Full 3D Gameplay; CG Movies; Dark Humor; Dual Shock Compatible

* Created by: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for SCEA

* Available: Halloween 1998 for PlayStation

75% Complete

review

| The movies in MediEvil are beautiful.

SKELETON SLAY THY NEIGHBOR

The Medieval era may have been a time when knowledge, science, and the pursuit of | truth’ became ‘buried under an oppressive | feudal- system dominated by a corrupt Catholic» church. -But Sony's newest 3D thriller, MediEvil, really doesn’t have much to with the actual middle ages. Instead of - | Sp nish inquisitors, Papal Pardons, and the | | plague, this game is a dark adventure,

~ starring a skeleton, full of gothic humor,

„fiendish puzzles, and tentacle pumpkins.

Yes, we.said tentacle pumpkins,. and a

| lot of other wacky enemies too, even living

| scarecrows. The hero, Sir Daniel Fortesque,

‘has reassembled his dusty bones and. risen from the grave. Why? To avenge the

evil sorcerer Zarok, who's obsessed: with

transforming the world into a state of eternal

darkness. Hey, if Montgomery Burns can try

to block out the sun, anyone can!

MediEvil has been in development for quite some time. The original design has gone through many revisions, but now it's ready to come Stateside. Sony has really emphasized MediEvil's unique CG movies. Referred to | as "big screen quality," these movies are the latest addition to the game, and set a tone of dark, but sophisticated humor.

Sir Daniel wields weapons no self- respecting skeleton would be left without, including broadswords, daggers, crossbows, lightning rods, a chicken drumstick, and “| even his disembodied left arm. MediEvil has improved greatly in the past months, and it's coming to a graveyard near you this Halloween.

PlayStation Preview

Pe a * E

DUCES EAE ye

e Size: 1 CD-ROM

e Style: 1 or 2-Player Action

* Special Features: 10 Motion-Captured Dancers (Plus 4 Hidden); Dance Styles Include Hip-Hop, Breakdancing, Jazz, Capoeira, & Others; Special Attacks & Evasive Maneuvers; Secret Moves

* Created by: Avex Trax/Enix for 989 Studios

* Available: Fall for PlayStation

90% Complete

12 town. Bust A Groove takes the concept

iex behind PaRappa and puts a whole new spin * on things. Where PaRappa was all about rappin', Bust A Groove is all about dancin'. And there's a lot of dancin'. Play as one of 14 characters, each with a certain style. .| Representin' the dance culture, multiple ! musical and dancing styles are included.

From disco to breakdancing, even capoeira, @ you'll never get tired of the different types of “| dancing you can get into. There's even a robot that...uh, does the robot.

All of the characters in Bust A Groove were created using motion-capture technology, so the animation of the characters is as fluid as currently possible. There's Heat, a House | raver who dances with multiple styles; Frida,

b: i 4 @te:. a shuffle dancer; Strike, a gangsta hip-hop

dancer; Gas-O, a breakdancer, and others.

But what's really tight about this game is the way the dancers compete. By inputting a certain series of moves, the dancers get into action. You win by doing the moves successively, building the momentum of your dance, until you freeze. You can slow the momentum of the other dancer by attacking them directly. Beware, however, as the other dancer can attack as well. Learning to dodge is the key to busting the dope kicks.

So, to wrap up, Bust A Groove will appeal to fans of PaRappa as well as other people interested in dancing and music that have not yet stepped into the realm of gaming. This was really noticeable at E3: while there were only two terminals with the game running, they were constantly surrounded by people (most notably females) wanting a crack at the game. Check it out when it hits Stateside.

PlayStation D review * Size: 1 CD-ROM * Style: 1 to 4-Player “Sports” * Special Features: More Than "3 OUT x 30 Wrestlers (16 From WCW); dh Create-A-Wrestler; Belts; Entrances & Theme Music; Based on Toukon Retsuden 3 * Created by: Tomy for THQ * Available: Fall for PlayStation

70% Complete

EI:

The Next Best Thing To Being There

Anyone who says that wrestling isn't a | "professional" sport, need only look at the | May 18 edition of WCW Nitro. The NHL's æ Eastern Conference Final game #6 was | pushed back a day, to accommodate Nitro's "I claim to the MCI Center. Just another | example of wrestling's current domination | within prime-time sports programming. | For true fans, there's only one thing better than watching wrestling on TV, and that's actually attending a match. Crowd hysteria, 1 controversy, treachery, and deceit — these are 7| what make a wrestling match the greatest | sports spectacle on earth. THQ has once | again embarked on a quest to reproduce the WCW in its entirety. From theme-songed | entrances, to weapons and ring-outs, | WCW/NWO Live packs pretty much | everything a wresting fan could want.

Forget about the disappointing WCW Nitro, because Live returns to the system of grapples and holds. Much like WCW | Vs. The World for PlayStation, an opponent ‘| must be worked into submission. Each of the 16 WCW wrestlers performs authentic | holds and special attacks, and enters the | ring accompanied by theme music, taunts, | and celebrations. | WCW/NWO Live also sports the most

advanced Create-A-Wrestler mode around.

Players can choose individual moves, rants,

body types, agility, height, weight, even

tattoos. Plus, there is a 4-player Battle Royal, so you can pound on all of your friends. The

WCW is back baby! Yeah!

TESUSPESISC tasst-k» d

Game Informer e August '98 51

Bergren, The Game Burrito

and Windows Col1

“By the power of Greyskull!”

E3 Overload

My first Expo was an unbelievable experience: play games all day, party all night, and rarely sleep. There were about 4 million PC titles at E3, so | couldn’t see everything, but | got help from some of the other GI faithful, including Erik the PC Jedi, who was reunited with his old GI buddies for a week of E3 madness. Below are some games that | will definitely be

checking out when their time comes. Look for more next month.

Thief: The Dark Project — Looking Glass Studios — Oct. ‘98

hief is first-person, but far from a shooter.

Stealth plays a huge part in this game and it

may turn out that, on the hardest difficulty, you can’t kill anyone if you want to complete a level. As a thief, you must tiptoe around guards and eavesdrop on conversations. Plus, if you kill or knock out a guard, you must throw him over your shoulder and place him in a dark corner so the body won't be dis- covered.

Homeworld - Sierra — Winter '98

omeworld was one of the more original and

innovative PC games at the show. From

newcomer Relic Entertainment, it's a real- time strategy adventure in deep 3D space. You begin lightyears from your original home, equipped with a mothership that is capable of building a fleet for your journey home. The ship designs are awesome and the camera fully rotates and zooms for in-your-face close-ups or distant galactic overviews. Homeworld also features resource and research manage- ment, self-adjusting flight formations, 100 kinds of ships, and three races of hostile pirates.

Swords & Sorcery — Virgin — Oct. ‘98

rigin had Ultima Ascension on display, but

| was more enthralled with S&S. The

game’s creator, David Bradley (the Wizardry series), told me S&S is everything he wanted to accomplish in an RPG. In 3D, S&S has tons of character classes, 70 monster types, 9 levels of wizard and priest spells, and anywhere from 40 to 60 skills —— to learn. Your group keai an can hold up to six characters that can be split up to per- form different tasks.

Ó Game Informer * August '98

Daikatana - ION Storm - Oct. ‘98

rimarily thought of as a first-person shooter,

Daikatana can be played in the third-person

too. The game is divided into four time peri- ods, and each has its own exclusive weapons and enemies. Your character can also build up attack speed, power, and level rating. You will have two other characters of different abilities helping you out, but they pretty much control themselves. Lastly, ammo power- ups are body parts.

Heretic ll — Activision — Fall/Winter '98

ollowing Duke's lead in Time To Kill, Heretic

is now a third-person adventure. Fortunately,

Heretic Il was situated right across from the GI booth so we all got to see plenty of it. Corvus returns in a quest to save his people from a mind- altering plague and the game has great new out- door environments, along with some mind-blowing effects every time our hero casts one of his powerful spells.

Requiem: Wrath of the Fallen — 3DO - Sept. ‘98

equiem is a first-person shooter with an

interesting twist. The story is loosely

based on Milton’s Paradise Lost and includes weapons of Biblical proportions. For instance, you can turn enemies into pillars of salt and boil their blood. You can also possess the body of an enemy (even in multiplayer) for a limited time. Unlike many games in this genre, you must talk to other characters in the game to figure out some of the puzzles. Also, sometimes if you kill the wrong person, God delivers his wrath, and snuffs out your pathetic life.

C&C’s awesome disruptor tank.

Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - Westwood - Oct. ‘98

got to see this game a few months ago at

Westwood and | was simply blown away. The

new mecha units, night missions, and instru- ments of destruction (like the meteor shower and ion storm) have me all aflutter with anticipation. Although C&C 2 is sticking with the two-sided approach, there will still be many hours of gameplay. The original was great and you can bet Westwood is mak- ing this one to be twice as good.

Half-Life — Sierra — Summer/Fall ‘98

he graphics look great, blah, blah, blah. In

addition, Half-Life tries to be more realistic

by leaving out random floating power-ups. Anything you find will be in a logical place; first aid kits can be found mounted on walls and ammo and weapons lay near fallen enemies. The game is also enhanced with intelligent enemies (some- thing every game claims to have) that attempt to flank you once they ; discover your pres- ence. The attention to detail reveals the tubes and circuitry inside a television when it is shot up.

SimCity 3000 - EA — Oct./Nov. ‘98

n addition to killer graphics, you will be able to

design your own buildings and exchange them

on the internet. Also, if you want to erect famous landmarks in your urban creation, like the Empire State Building, go crazy. In SimCity 3000 you have to overcome disaster scenarios, enter power struggles with neighboring cities, and consider presentations from citizen petitioners. Plus, if you want : to take a break from your mayoral duties, you can try running the police and fire depart- ments.

From Gasico and “Atari comes a new kind of racer for the arcades. Radikal Bikers pits you as a pizza delivery person trying to reach the finish line before your rival pizza shack. Choose from four different characters (two men and two women) to race on three circuits — «*cOOBDDD Ker ENS etl o.) 7; A consisting of four races each. Players — uesecemix must use shortcuts and power-ups to get the jump on their opponent. Many of the power-ups are in hard-to-reach places, so players must use their skills to launch off of cars and other obstacles to reach the good ones. Check out this new twist on the racing genre, in your arcades right now.

BIKERS. Y

Soul Calibur — The Sequel to Soul Blade If you are one of the many fans of the great Namco fighter Soul Blade, then get ready for a treat. Although we did show a few pictures previously of this new fighter, the name of the game was unknown. But now it has a name. Called Soul Calibur, this game moves oh so smoothly and the control is excellent. Namco had a few cabinets running at E3 and, to say the least, it was incredible. We had a hard time pulling ourselves away from the machine. Combos are much more open-ended now, and the side-step is easy to do, so the game is much more ` three-dimensional in terms of movement. Namco has really pushed its System ~ 42 board, with huge lighting effects, fluid animation, and tons of characters. New characters to the series include Kilik, Nightmare, Maxi, Xiang Hua, and Astraroth. The returning characters so far include Mitsurugi, Sophitia, Taki, and Voldo. This game should be in the arcades now, so go

out there and do some fighting!

. Another new arcade game from Na titled. Miis Park. One or two

f “consists of 25 gne | stages are played in one

the game to be som u you play. Te Namco a bone i

ce

A-YMUE- AIO —PÀ———

|

I

| I r | |

P| |

* Size: 96 Megabit

* Style: 1 to 4-Player Action

* Special Features: 4-Player Deathmatch on 8 Levels; 15 Single- Player Missions; Missile Cam; Traps & Puzzles; 3D Map

* Replay Value: Moderate

* Created by: Iguana U.K. for Acclaim Entertainment

* Available: Now for Nintendo 64

Bottom Line:

* Size: 96 Megabit

* Style: 1 to 4-Player Racing

* Special Features: All New Characters; 16 New Vehicles; Improved Graphics; Powerslides; 36 Tracks; Battle Mode; More Weapons; Sonic Boom Effects

* Created by: Probe for Acclaim Entertainment

* Available: November for Nintendo 64

50% Complete

* Size: 64 Megabit

* Style: 1 to 4-Player Sports

* Special Features: Reproduction of the Famous Hawaiian Course; Create Custom Golfers; 6 Game Modes Including Tournament, Stroke, & Skins Play; Rumble Pak Compatible; Battery Backup

* Created by: T&E Soft for Nintendo

* Available: Now for Nintendo 64

99% Complete

Forsaken 64

Forget about story. Forsaken knows exactly what it is — a first-person shooter — and it succeeds beautifully. This game hits the ground running and never slows down. It's tons of action, along with the smoothest playcontrol around. Yes, Forsaken's an almost exact

replica of Descent, but we like Descent, and we fi i

like Forsaken too. The controller config is set up nicely, and every button and pad on the controller is employed. If you absolutely have to have story and items, like in GoldenEye or Turok, you might not like Forsaken. But for straight-up action, it's just the ticket.

Extreme-G 2

Extreme-G 2 incorporates some new additions that make it a worthy sequel. Probe has included new bikes, weapons, tracks, and a Battle mode that lends the gameplay

greater depth, and a fresh feel. Also, adding $&

powerslides elicits a more realistic racing interface, and helps prevent your bike from bouncing around the track and getting lost (as often occurred in Extreme-G). Extreme-G 2 has also undergone some cosmetic enhancements

to improve gameplay. Probe is eliminatng many :

of the hazy backgrounds (which just hid pop-up) to increase visibility; and, if you breach

the sound barrier (750 mph), you'll hear a sonic =

boom! Cool!

Waialae Country Club

A prerequisite to any good system is a golf game. So why does it take Nintendo two years to release such a title in the United States?

Who knows, but Waialae Country Club should | be releasing as we speak. Perennial developer | T&E Soft, makers of golf games on the Saturn | and even the Virtual Boy, has re-created E a 64-bit version of the popular SNES game. pass Like many of T&E's past developments, |

expect photo-realistic golfers and an authentic reproduction of the Waialae course that, ironi- cally, is the site of the Sony Classic - an early stop on the 1999 PGA Tour. We know many N64 owners have been craving a golf game and while T&E might have been more successful with its Augusta license, we can't wait to get on the N64 links.

CLANCE

OMM raut.eevmo s

PULSAR SON RIG

GLANCE

3 ea “4 5 LB

Xs.

Ocean has been keeping the review cart of fam S C ae GT 64 out of our reach, and because of this, | iseimmse Tras B we couldn't bring you an honest review of | Mets the product. But we can give hints, and that's TEILTE RI x EX just what we'll do here. GT 64's graphic IER NIC DNR UU ; ! SL . 2 Variations Each; Car presentation is very similar to San Francisco Z

at a Configuring; W 2 M -À «8 Rush; however, the racing is much tamer. PERAE There are no jumps or crashes, so the thrills | MMMM CSiene iii etait SELECTATEAM _ 2 in this title are produced through straight-up [RING ONU

NELLE racing and not much more. There is a total of um ne is E- NEN. three tracks, each with two variations and a |I E d: slew of different cars (14). This won't be the | Mme next big racer for the Nintendo 64, but it may | sedie find a small following with fans of NASCAR and | EEMMMA P E circuit racing. GT 64 has the potential to score | A. AM a high seven, but will probably end up closer to wou E a D, Seven. P d P 99% Complete

MEZ LORETE Cag: rpa) POUND

E.COMAS z

Castlevania 64

It's just a matter of time before Konami 7

: ; ; : * Size: 128 Megabit continues its long-running series on the |MMswepgenwes Nintendo 64, and that time is drawing near. At PETTE E3, Castlevania 64 was shown in a playable | MRR UTC form, and the developers at Konami are shooting d i TU for a December release. Although there will be | EESAN amiak inni four playable characters to choose from when |RBss mre the game is complete, we concentrated on FEGE AREE the new Belmont named “Schneider.” To any BRA dMedu E fan of Castlevania, the Belmont name is as | ache synonymous with the game as the classic EMITE í whip. Through a fairly ingenious targeting p ERKO Oona system, Schneider can aim his whip in virtually | Mie any direction to wipe out the undead infesting | itasema Dracula’s castle. After a very impressive 2D showing on the PlayStation, gamers have high 0 hopes for the new 3D Nintendo sme 50% Complete

* F-Zero X

Y Nintendo is finally releasing a sequel to its fim PIER. SA ground-breaking F-Zero, dubbed F-Zero X. |BPMPREMMEIANNI

The graphics look nice, the tracks are original, | iene

the control is flawless, and watching 30 cars | MQRC is

' onscreen is exciting; however, the game isn't Ranae Pa Eia

nearly as exhilarating as the original. First, the |EMZMBAMANMNN

game plays exactly like its predecessor. While | ENAERE E

this isn't necessarily bad, the game just feels íINecuua» muy

old, and quickly becomes slightly boring. P PREPAUSA

Second, although Nintendo boasts about the | BMMHHNANMANUNM

hovercrafts reaching speeds of 1,000 KM/H, p EEEa TM

and the speedometer indeed indicates this, the

space-like backgrounds don't provide any point

_ of reference. Therefore, you never really feel

: as if you're traveling very fast. Maybe Gl is

being too picky, but shouldn't we expect more 80% Complete

Bienes

Uo gom (0999718

Hall of Famer?

GLANCE

Preview

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1-Player Action/Adventure

* Special Features: 2 Playable Characters (Korben & Leeloo); 4 Worlds Containing 12 Levels; Nightmare Creatures' 3D Engine; Platforming Elements

* Created by: Kalisto for Activision

* Available: September for PlayStation

75% Complete

Preview

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1 or 2-Player Action

* Special Features: Set Traps: Deploy Troops; Lots of Shooting & Destruction; Based on the Movie; Over 15 Levels of Gameplay (Plus 5 More in 1-Player Mode)

* Created by: DreamWorks Interactive for Electronic Arts

* Available: Fall 1998 for PlayStation

30% Complete

Preview

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1-Player Action

* Special Features: Multiple Endings; Many Dangers To Overcome Such as Depletion of Oxygen, Hungry Sea Creatures, & Other Adversaries; Historical Plot Based on Missing WWII Craft

* Created by: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo for Konami of America

* Available: Fall 1998 for PlayStation

50% Complete

Ó Game Informer * August '98

The Fifth Element

From the makers of Nightmare Creatures, The | Fifth Element uses the same, yet "enhanced," $ 3D engine. As admirers of Nightmare [2 Creatures, we were curious to see how this movie adaptation would play. If you play this game for a while, it can grow on you, but it § won't dazzle you right away. The control is cumbersome and the beginning character, Korben, is dull compared to the acrobatic and

powerful Leeloo. The two characters have |

unique abilities, but enemies adapt depending |. upon who they face. For Korben they'll BIS have guns and for Leeloo the same enemies EE suddenly become blackbelts. Hmmm. But the level designs are nice and there is plenty of action, including platforming elements like

jumping, climbing, and swinging. |

Small Soldiers ; Big things come in small packages, and that's | what Small Soldiers is all about. Based on the summer movie of the same name, Small Soldiers puts you in the middle of a war that's

going on right under your nose. Play as the [5

Gorgonites, the ugly hero toys, who are doing battle with the ferocious Commando Elite in 15 separate missions. During the battles you can deploy troops, attack, and set traps. There is a § split-screen mode for two players, which allows for head-to-head battling. Ten weapons are § included to destroy your opponent, ranging from homing missiles to short-range guns.

G Shock

Have you ever wanted to be the next Jacques Cousteau? Well Konami is offering you the closest thing to the real deal in G Shock, a new underwater action/adventure. Players take on the role of Jean Cave, a 31-year-old

oceanographer. The goal of the game is to FRA

figure out the mysteries of the sunken WWII vessel, the Matilda, which has been the focus of numerous failed explorations. Along the way, you will encounter characters to interact with, as well as many baddies, human and | otherwise, wanting to impede your excavation. With multiple endings and countless artifacts and treasures to uncover, this game should offer some promise when it comes to North America later this year.

GLANCE

When we picked up this game, we didn't expect much. After a few games, however, our expectations were surpassed. This is one of the better soccer games out there. It's easy, the animation is great, and the speed is faster than other soccer games. The gameplay does have minor flaws though. The biggest problem g is the corner kicks. On a shot, the goalie either = | stops the ball, or the shot misses completely. = | In about 20 games, there were only three or four corners. But apart from this, the rest of 4 the game rocks, especially the spanish commentary. So for all spanish-speaking | iiaMuenunambe

soccer fans out there, this is the game to get. Bottom Line:

You'll feel like you're watching the weekly | matches on Galavision. 7 25 LJ

£317 2£9185 oe

B Tecmo's Deception II

iE Tecmo's Deception Il, referred to last month B as Castle Deception, is the sequel to the original Tecmo's Deception. Those familiar with me the first game know it takes a different EE. approach. Sure, you encounter bloodthirsty enemies, but you won't kill them with swords, guns, or tanks. In Deception Il, you must set traps and spring them upon unwitting enemies (sometimes very unwitting). Up to three traps can be used at once and at any time. Some fMRSMPM traps work better when used in conjunction Sei eacesen with another. For instance, placing a beartrap $ E0 tat in front of an attack wall makes it much easier (and entertaining) to get the wall to connect with your enemy and launch him or her across the room.

| Croc 2

d We all knew that Croc would return this holiday season (since it said so in the back of the first game's manual), but we never expected a surprise quite like this one. All of the Gobbos in Croc 2 feature a different design, and don't | freak out or anything, but they are adorned in — level-specific garb. Now, what could top this? Croc 2’s gameplay has also been enhanced, and there will not be as many tiny level segments that have to load and load. Croc’s =| animation looks the same (which is okay), but 4 the enemies and platforming have much greater detail and depth. Does Croc 2 have | enough to dance with Crash “I Kicked Your | Rear Last Year” Bandicoot?

40% Complete

Game Informer « August '98 Q

CURA CE *

Review

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1 or 2-Player Racing

* Special Features: Killer

Soundtrack Plays During

Races; Steal Weapons From Enemies; 4 Classes of Bikes; Purchase Better Bikes; Various Attacks

* Replay Value: Moderate

* Created by: Electronic Arts

* Available: Now for PlayStation

Bottom Line:

7.75

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1 or 2-Player Fighting

* Special Features: 16 Characters Plus Secret Characters; Super Special Moves; Beautiful Character & Stage Designs; Everybody's Dead!

* Created by: Capcom

* Available: September for PlayStation

60% Complete

* Size: 1 CD-ROM

* Style: 1-Player Action

* Special Features: Voice Navigation System; Camera Panning; 5 Playable Characters (3 Hidden); Analog Compatible; A-Life System

* Replay Value: Moderately High

* Created by: Sonic Team

for Sega Enterprises * Available: Now for Saturn

Bottom Line:

7.25

Ó Game Informer ° August '98

RT A GOLA RCE

Road Rash 3D

Road Rash 3D aint a bad game, but É considering how stoked we were for a real § 32-bit version, the game comes out as a disappointment. It's fun, but that's about it. | Below the surface of nice graphics and cool music is a game with very little imagination. As the courses get longer and longer, nothing really seems to change, and you're racing through the same set of buildings and pastures again and again. The combat really isn't the focus, good racing is much more important. Plus, EA didn't deliver on the promise of storyline. The cut-scenes and bike gangs seem merely thrown in, and don't serve any real purpose. ;

Forsaken- as i

Fi e „person shooters | are a lacking

on the PS-X, but |

Descent clone

path, and oe on cr es you choose, you can move fairly fast.

Mortal Kombat 4 - PlayStation Bottom Line:

The PlayStation MK4 . looks graphically infe- rior to the N64 ver-

Y

STE

Darkstalkers 3

If you bought the original Darkstalkers for the

PlayStation, and missed the second one | because you didn't own a Saturn, then tough

luck with the third, you should purchase a } Saturn and the Darkstalkers 3 import. Seriously though, if you played Darkstalkers 3 on the Saturn, or in the arcades, the PS-X version is fY; currently missing frames of animation, and the slow gameplay is annoying. Besides these setbacks, Capcom has faithfully reproduced the fighting interface and the control; all of the special moves, supers, and chain combos are easily executed. Also, with 16 well-designed monsters to choose from, including four new ("3 ones, Darkstalkers 3 offers deep gameplay that FERE

i ‘99 - PlayStation will occupy you until Marvel Vs. Street Fighter.

Bottom Line: 8- Although BOT 9th is - loaded with many of | the same options as ! MLB ‘99, and more, the graphics and th

Burning Rangers

Yuji Naka came oh so close to having to find a new job after he failed to deliver a Saturn Sonic, but we believe Burning Rangers saved his neck | (or at least granted him one more chance). This EE isn't the best game around, but it will entertain E most Saturn owners. Extinguishing fires should ! be more of a hassle than a joy, but somehow or | another this game makes it quick, painless, and a blast. The controls are fluid, the environments are detailed nicely (with nice lighting on | the side), but the Voice Navigation System almost destroyed this game. The annoying voices are always there and take away the sensation of exploring and figuring things | out on your own. This is an okay release, but nothing spectacular.

am options and great gameplay. wever, the graphics and animation look inferior on the PS-X, and the N64 ISS Soccer

: includes more humor.

with Hots Shots.

This PTP will not give you all of

the answers, but it does provide vital information for solving some of the tougher puzzles.

Basic »- Use Your Weapon - Use your weapon to stun enemies, then jump on them and toss. This makes it much easier to defeat the common ene- mies. ..- “i

> Use The 100 Year Old Man - After you acquire the 100 Year Old Bell in the chest at the beginning of the game, use it anytime you need to return to the Old Man’s Hut. He will refill your health and it can be used infinitely. A

> Touch Everything - This is the

only way you will discover some of —

your tasks, and it's the only way to get 100%.

> Attack Everything - By defeat- ing enemies’ you get more AP, which :ọpens more AP Boxes. Constantly build your AP.

> Save Fequently — If you don't, you'll run into spots where you will be stuck and then die, only to have to redo all of the work you have already accomplished.

> Take Notes — Many nti are never repeated. Although you

menu, sometimes they are too vague to be of any help.

» Use The Shrooms - In certain parts of the, game, mushrooms affect Tomba: in. different ways. Experiment when peaking to people.

» Avoid The Masakari Traps - Although easy enough to do, if you.

get caught, you are in for a real headache.

The Toughies

> Peach Flower Gas - In the first area, one of the harder tasks to

accomplish is the Peach Flower Gas. Just sucker one of the pigs ‘into going under a giant peach and jump on it. The pig will shrink. Grab the pig and you get the points.

» Save The Dwarves - There are seven dwarves. Two-.are on the screen just left of the Dwarf Village, two more are on the next screen to the left, two more are near the Watch Tower, and the final one is above the Wobbly Wharf.

> Something’s Cookin’? — Touch the fire, then get the Bucket (in a chest at Wobbly Wharf). Collect water drops at the Watch Tower to put out the fire. Later, give the

_ bucket to the worried woman in the - Dwarf Village to get a goodie. do get the tasks listed in your ~

» Lost And Found - The first crystal ball is located to the left of the Watch Tower in the air. The sec- ond is on the Wobbly Wharf and the third is next to the p Ow in Charity Square. —

List of Items 100 Year Old Key Blue Powder Here is alist of every item 100 Year Old Bell Bomb

that you will come across at 1000 Year Old Bell Broken Vase

one point or another. Use 1000 Year Old Key Bucket

this as a checklist to ensure 10000 Year Old Bell Bucket Of Wine

that ü have done every- 10000 Year Old Key Bunk Flowers 1000000 Year Old Bell Cold Medicine 1000000 Year Old Key Charity Wings Baked Yam Crying Mushroom Bananas Crystal Balls (3) Big Key Dirty Mirror Biting Plant Flower Flower Seeds

Funga Drum

... Blackjack

Finding the Pig Bags

There are seven pig bags. The Blue Pig Bag is with the Dwarf Elder. The Green Pig Bag is in a 1000'. Year - Old Chest at the entrance to the Lava Caves. The Pink Pig Bag is behind the door with. the . large. keyhole in the

Haunted Mansion. The Navy Pig Bag i is ina 1000 Year Old Chest next to the Old Tree. The Orange Pig Bag is in the 1000 Year Old Chest in Central Park. The Yellow Pig Bag is in a 10000 Year Old Chest in the Trick Village. The Red Pig Bag is on Stormy. Mountain behind a door with a big keyhole.

Finding the Pig Gates

The Blue Pig Gate is in the

1000000 Year Old Man's Room.

The Green Pig Gate is behind the.

Smiling Door at the Haunted Mansion. The Pink Pig Gate is above the entrance to the Lava Cave (inside)..The Navy Pig Gate is in.a door at the base of the Haunted Mansion. The Orange Pig ' Gate is left of the gate to

the Ancient

Civilization.

The Yellow Pig Gate is in the

The le

Here is a list of the most impor- tant items and where they ce can be found. ! $

» Wood Boom dang 4 { in a 100

Year Old Chest above the ground

to the right of the hut leading to the Wobbly Wharf.

» Jumping Pants - Ina 100 Year Old Chest at the « bottom of the Watch Tower.

> 1000 Year Old Bell - In a chest at the top of the Mushroom Forest.

> Iron Boomerang - In a 1000000 Year. Old. Chest on Stormy Mountain. —

» Dashing ELS In a 10000 Year Old Chest left of the gate to the Ancient Civilization. Look-next to the tree.

» Funga Drum -

T go Year Old Tree.

E Grapple - In a 1000 Year Old Chest at the right of Stormy Mountain.

In the very first. `

Clock Tower in the Ancient

Civilization. The Red Pig Gatei is ir in

Charity Square. aad

Funky Parasol Laughing Mushroom Rise And Shine Powder Furious Tornado Leaf Butterflies (30) Sacred Fish

Gold Medal Magic Mirror Seaweed

Golden Candy Math Beads Silver Medal Grapple Mermaid's Necklace Silver Powder GrappleJack Mermaid's Shell Slice Of Cheese (10) Healing Mushroom Mighty Fish Food Tear Bottle

Jewel Of Fire Molasses Telescope

Jewel Of Water Mysterious Mushroom Thief's Wire

Jewel Of Wind Ordinary Mushroom Torch

Jumping Pants Pipe Vitality Max 41 Knowledge Fruit Psychic Fish Wood Boomerang Large Lunch Box Raft Weed Killer

Game Informer * August '98 59

Atene NAUES DFW TTY RHI ERR. ERR, V, UHR. ome rR. PERE SNNT

ie eben ^ ERAN. PARNER? p wr wen RRS FERN RTI RUTHER. MS HOE ENT. EO YII NUTS.

Unlock Extra Levels — At t Screen press the Left Butt the Right Button, then Down. If entered correctly, a tiny green guy will appear in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Now, simply - select the Another World option to | challenge these extra levels.

Level Skip - During gameplay

simultaneously press the Left and

Right Buttons, A, and Z to zap to

the next stage.

Change Character Colors - At the Game Select screen press Z, Left Button, Right Button, and A to

lange your dino’s color. “The VidMan" Uptown, MN

Enter all of these codes at the Name Entry screen. Note: These codes only work on version 1.21. Raiden - RAIDEN 3691 Shinnok - SHINOK 8337 Robotron -BRAIN 1111 © Skull - SKULL 1111 Demon - THUG 1111 Headless - CARLTN 1111 Mark Turmell - TURMEL 0322 John Root - ROOT 6000 Sal Divita - SAL 0201 . Jason Skiles - JASON 3141 Jennifer Hedrick - JENIFR 3333 Dan Thompson - DANIEL 0604 B Jeff Johnson — JAPPLE 6660 Luis Mangubat - LUIS 3333 Vanstroke -VAN 1234 Jan Forden - FORDEN 1111 entile - GENTIL 1111

~ Game Informer * August '9§

Ent all " these codes é Press Start screen. |

Unlimited Nitro - B, B, Right B Button, Up, Left, Down, Up C,

Left C

Trip Mode — A, Right Button, Left, Right, Down, Up C, Left C, Down C

Wire Frame Mode - Left Button,

| Left Button, Right Button, Z, | Left, Right, Up C, Right C

Horror Mode — Z, Down, Up C, Left C, Left C, Left C, Left C, Down C

"Tiny" $ Bigasstin, FL

Enter all of fhese € c Match-Up screen. -

Power-Up Blockers - ET ~2-Left Power-Up Speed — 4-0-4-Left _ Power-Up Defense — 4-2-1-Up

Power-Up Teammates —2-3-3-Up |

Big Head Mode — 2-0-0-Right Team Big Heads — 2-0-3-Right Huge Heads — 0-4-0-Up Team Big Players — 1-4-1-Right Tiny Players — 3-1-0-Right Show Field Goal % — 0-0-1-Down Tournament Mode — 1-1-1-Down Smart CPU Opponent - 3-1-4- Down No CPU Assist — 0-1-2-Down Show More Field — 0-2-1-Right Infinite Turbo — 5-1-4-Up Fast Passes — 2-5-0-Left Super Field Goals — 1-2-3-Left Super Blitzing — 0-4-5-Up

"The Rhino"

Toledo, OH

ACCESS |

View Fireworks — Go to the Stadium Select screen and press Z to bring up the View Stadium mode. Press the Right Button and Z together to blast off a few fireworks.

Title Screen Gimmick — At the Title Screen, hold Z to stop the ball's rotation. At this point (with Z still held), use the analog controller to move the ball. Unlock Bonus Teams -At the main menu highlight Exhibition, then simultaneously press all four C Buttons until you hear a bell. After this step is entered, bring up the Team Select menu and you will find ew teams (Nintendo and Angel

New "s. | During NE hold Left and press Start to change the | view. Hold Down and press Start to return the view to normal. "Virtua Gap Boy ‘98” Phoenix, AZ

View Ending —

mode and choose th repeatedly tap Left C

C, and Down C at th

Select screen. You'll hear when this code is entered corre From here hit Z to watch the endi Easy Hitting — While batting, if you | hold B, your batting cursor will zoom over to where the ball will be | thrown. As soon as it moves, let go and take a cut.

No Cursors — While pitching, move B your pitching cursor out of the hitting cursor and hold the Z Button. Now, press any C Button to look over at a base. At this point, release Z followed by the C Button. - This will bring you back to the pitching/batting screen, but now, there will be no cursors, and the CPU will not be able to hit the ball.

Traitors — On any road game,

smack a home run, then wait for the

dugout pan shot and press A to

change your uniform color to that of the opposition. Traitors! | "Z-Poly The Dingbat"

Austin, TX

Enter Hs. codes at the Cheat Menu. 2D Players - PRPPAPLYR

| Big Head Mode - GOTHELIUM

Sinister Sidney Red Falls, KY

Ci D [m Į j

ight Wing — First, collect all t parts along with the

T Burning Rangers — Saturn

f Enter all of these codes at the Password screen. Sound Test - NAVIXXTEST Big Landman on Mission 1 — 3BIG2BPLCK ) Landman on Mission 2 - Z5BIGSPGW

f Hot Shots Goif ~ PlayStation

Unlock Solowing Dragon — Go to :

Georgius and use your dragon's lasers on the four pyramid structures surrounding the Shellcoof. Enter the gigantic ship and follow the silver. Now, fly through eight gates and veer off at the Relief room. Search the Dragon Crest on the wall to find the Baby Dragon. From here, fly to the Forest of Zoah and enter into the area below the forest. Inside the structure all you have to do is destroy the two lion statues to receive the Solowing Dragon (from the first Panzer game).

GS4LEAD2ZU Lead Phoenix on Mission 3 2LEAD6DHUY Chris Parton on Mission 1 — DH5CHRIS5H Iria Klein on Mission 2 — HTL2IRIA5O

“The Human Torch"

New York, NY

Note: This code only works on controller 2 with no Memory Card present.

All Characters and Courses — At the Title Screen (with the Hot Shots logo bouncing in) hold L1, L2, R1, R2, then press Up, Up, Down, Up, Left, Right, Right, Left, Up, Up, Down, Up, Left, Right, Right, Left.

"Virtua Gap Boy '98" Phoenix, AZ

F world cup ‘98 — Nintendo 64

There is a secret area to t on the World Map called Game. In this area you w three new areas as well Valley, Dermot’s Ranch, and

on the Lake). The Ancient Valley is

a race. Dermot's Ranch allows you

to control a baby dragon and

interact with other dragons. And the

Fleet on the Lake is basically target practice.

Carl Madensay

Chicago, IL

Need For Speed Ill: Hot Pursuit — PlayStation

Gum Ball Police

then before the game loads, press Down, R1, L2 to change the green Landrovers into Gum Ball Police.

]| Crown Victorias - Choose Rocky

Pass as your course, then before

the game loads press Right, R1,

L2 to change the blue and white

Jeeps into Crown Victorias. To

access this code on The Summit it Down, R1, L2.

Adam Scherzer Webville, COM

Scoring Noises — After a goa scored press A, B, Left C, o Down C to access different crowd noises. Jason Ballhugger San Jose, CA

| X-Men Vs. Street Fighter EX

- Choose | Redrock Ridge as your course, |

Edition — PlayStation

Unlock Alpha Chun-Li — Chun-Li and hold Select for least five seconds, then press 3€ Unlock Akuma - Highlight ai character on the top row, then press Up to bring up Akuma's hidden box. Unlock Apocalypse — First, beat the game with a Difficulty setting of five or higher. Now, enter the § Versus mode and highlight Akuma. From here hold Select for at least five seconds, then press any punch button. Doing this correctly will bring up Apocalypse's image. Longer Beatings — By pressing Start immediately after winning a 'ound, you'll have a few seconds of | time to thrash on your fallen

“The Rhino" Toledo, OH

The Hidden Face - To see The Giant Face, start a new gam

Now, position your arrow above your home base (use the map). Fly directly north of your home base about a 1/2 an inch. When you check the map, the bottom of the arrow should be covering half the

top of the blinking green box (the

box represents your home base). Now look at the grass, there's a big

face in it.

- Chris (Arcade-A-Holic) Sims $ Milwaukee, WI

Neat and = — Whe hospital becomes full or di then reload. Doing th you a fresh start. All of and patients will be gone!

Enter all of these codes at the Password screen.

z -N Level 2- | Gran Turismo — Playstation x, 0,8, A, A, ©, X Unlock GT Hi-Fi Mode - This MI ; oye) 3 — graphic-intensive mode can be COABXACA unlocked by three different means. eel You can simply beat all four GT Level 4 - League Cups, beat all of the jm 8, 4. 6, $ x, x, A, e Level 5 -

Special Cups, or defeat every : obstacle in Arcade mode. 0,A,8,0,X, A,0,B Level 6 -

Detroit, MI | — Level 7 - Tomba! “VR Baseball '99 BA, A,O,*,B8,A,0

Harvest Moon : Legend of the River King m Unlock Earthen Fighter — Unlock Faster Game — At the Title Screen. \ I choose The Legend Returns.

Clonus Opponents - At the $ Character Select screen, hold Select while picking an opponent. New View — During a match hold L2 and R2 and press Away to change the view. Hold L2 and R2, .. Elemental Gearbolt then press Down to return the view

ranstream Saga | to normal.

.. Jersey Devil

Little Orohan Doug Tiner, NM

Level 9 -

ae 15 or more secrets and defeat the A,B,*X,A,0,X*, A.B

Steet Fightor A Ipha 3 game under any difficulty level. Highlight 1-Player, then on the next $ a0) 49 — - Street Fighter EX 2- Unlock Moon Fighter — Beat the screen hold R2 and press %. $ e p XABXON $ed Secret Access Requests To: game with the difficulty set to hard - :

Level Skip - During gameplay hold L2 or R2 and press 6 to advance. 1 level, W to go back one level, A to advance 15 levels, or % to go back 15 levels.

Level 11 -

A,0,80,A 8,0 x d- —

Himman Boyson - Los Angeles, CA

and without continuing more than mE

"en m two times to unlock this killer ship. $

.. EMail access allies@gameinformer. . [| Unlock Gallery — Beat the game I oo | 1 with a High Ranking to access the §

Gallery option from the Main

} Menu.

View Cinemas - At the Title Screen; highlight Options and use controller 2 to enter the code. Each & of the four shift buttons is assigned a number: R2=1, L2=2, R1=4, in the Game Informer/ASCIIWARE L1=8. Here's an example of how - Secret Access Contest. The Grand | f these work. To view the level five Prize is an ASCIIWARE product of aga Fag ma ERE cinema hold R1 and R2 together

your choice. | MEM, then hit €. To view the level 12 cinema hold L1 and R1 then hit 3€.

"Melvin, The Mutated Moose"

Send Game Informer Your "The Human Torch" Passwords and Codes and Win! | -~ New York, NY

nd in your codes and password ; ‘ifwe print them you'll be entered

Turbo Prop Racing — PlayStation Enter all of these codes at the

Name Entry screen. Note: — = Space.

| PlayStation | Saturn 9" ASCII Pad ASCII Saturn Stick

Specialized ASCII SuperNES —-— Webville, COM B Vie FM Vs - STR s à ASCII Pad SN b Unlimited Turbos - RUSH eL... SuperAdvantage — All Standard Boats -. BOA SORA Rhino Pad SN —

Enhanced ASCII 7 Hurricane Boat - HURR

ASCII Carrybag* ASCII pem [ vigi " j [e R- uck Mode —_ eae? i | . Blasto — PlayStation All Day Courses -_DAY

Mach 1 || PAD ASCII Grip Rhino Pad SG 1 | All Night Courses —. NIT

All Mirror Courses — RRIM Fractal Tracks - FRAC Always Win — WINR |. Porsche Mode - BXTR (Requires save from Porsche Challenge) E “The VidMan" Uptown, MN

Enter this code at the Password - | screen. Bonus Characters and Levels — WMNNWLHTSCUCLH

Alternate Costumes — At the Title $ Screen quickly tap Up, Up, Down, %, A, @ to bring up a Costume Menu.

The runner-up will receive a Informer Secret Access T- Shirt to complement his/her w rdre

Send To: | . Secret Acce!

“The Rhino” Toledo, OH

Game Informer Mag | 10120 W. 76th Street.

Game Informer * Au ust

ATTENTION!

The codes below only work,

with InterAct's GameShark | T enhancer attachment.

: : ce — IS Burning Ran 80144816 00f0 : sono 0303 {o | Bust-A-Move 2. _ n do09aace0009 o Ag kia 1 nfinite doe : ; Momo Quick Level Gain- "^: Diablo = 8016782a 0203 — d0144ca6 0000 bem E Be Bd T .- 80144ca6 00f0 - . d009aace 0009 im | vo ; 8009e3ba 0303 ^ ig Forsaken

Infinite Papers — ee Quick zm Gain- A License - dues 64 . 80162540 000a 80144d4a O0fO — d009aace 0009 Gran Turismo Infinite Lives- : Garr Quick Level Gain 8009e3bc 0303 Hot Shots Golf d009aace 0009 801e2388 0002 d0144aba 0000 e DA Lone Runner | ; Crystal Castles . 80144aba 00f0 d009aace 0009 Major League. Baseball Featuring ^. Infinite Lives — 8009e3c0 0303 Ken Griffey Jr. 80170f8a 0002 d009aace 0009 | Need For Speed Ill: Hot Pursuit 1 Marble Madness Diablo — PlayStation 8009e3c2 0303 -Nuclear Stike ^ — » inite Time — Warrior Quick Level Gain — International License — | anzer Dragoon Saga Infinite Time i -..80133c7c 0063 d00047ac 0000 d009aace 0009 | _ Theme Hospital 800d9374 5fff 8009e3c4 0303 | Turbo Prop Racing nN | | d009aace 0009 Tl m Infinite F Rogue Quick Level Gain — 8009e3c6 0303 i | Py ye bien ais d009aace 0009 I dk SOs fa a 800963c8 0303 Infinite Special Weapon Ammo — d009aace 0009 8014f47c 0019 3009e3ca 0303 Infinite Armor — Forsaken — PlayStation | T Infinite Shields - 1 vus n Extra Veena: 80086284 1000 Hot Shots Golf — PlayStation | 80146594 0001 Infinite Hull - Quick Level Up = i 80086286 1000 80101144 ffff il - Infinite Pulsar — Blasto — PlayStation 8008628c 8000 SEGA mmi Full Power Blast-o-matic — Infinite Mua — L - Sega Game Play Assistance d000e22a 00f "80086246 0507 Nintenda 64 — PAREA e ER 800cd434 0002 EA | $85 "T eid S eg 8026b1cb 0003 $1.05 per minute for live help. i " "Canada 900-451-5252 . Breath of Fire III — cran Turismo — PlayStation e Ris - $1.05 per mille automated PlayStation Start On 2nd Lap (Arcade -a pu ; Mode) - per Rei Quick Level Gain - d00b68b0 0000 pes ess d d0144c02 0000 SEN 80144c02 00f0 800b68b0 0002 WCW vs. the NWO: World |. ds Ar Pig ib Bui Ouk Level Gai For the codes below, hit Startand Tour - Nintendo 64 L Wt = 40144979 pun num Select together to unlock Note: There are two versions of i Nintendo’ S TE Lus power Line! whatever it may be that you this game on the market. This | mm). 125-885-7579 80144972 00f0 seek. : code works for v1.1. = = o ies one Mir Extra Cash — Extra Characters — | 900. 933-5ONY(7669) d009aace 0009 | 80060695 OOF .. $.95 per minute

80144b5e 00f0 : 80095866 OOF

B License- do09aace 0009 — ——

ese lines may not have information for all titles. If yot’ re under 18 be sure to get your | parent s eo

|... Game Informer « August ‘98 | | LH |

Way of the Warrior - 3D0 Level Warp

Enter these codes on the Names screen. Garden Stage - TAJ MAHAL, JANUARY 1, 1901 Turbo World - SPEED, AUGUST 8, 1980

Alley Fight - TUGAWAR, APRIL 16, 1964 Psychedelic Caves - PARANOID, MAY 5, 1975

Nobunaga's a Johnny Cage Wannabe

To see a cool Nobunaga, who's wearing sunglasses on the Rematch screen, use only buttons A and C during the last round to beat your opponent.

Play as the Bosses

At the Names screen, enter these names and birthdays:

Kull - A Gavin, Jun 11 1970

High Abbott — J Rubin, Jan 6 1970

Now go to the characterselect screen. The boss characters appear in invisible boxes in the lower right-hand corner.

Playable Hidden Characters

In the Versus mode, enter these hidden characters’ names and birthdays:

Gulab Jamun — Gulab, February 29, 1900

Major Trouble — Bad Boy, February 4, 1908

Voodoo — Evil, June 6, 1966

Black Dragon - Wyvern, March 9, 1927

Space Game

Tired of trying to figure out the warrior's way? Take a break with this cool Space Game.

Playing the hidden space game is much easier to do with two people. At the character select Screen, pick a character on Controller Two and simultaneously press and hold down A, B, and C, while holding Down-Toward on the directional pad. Then press Il while continu- ing to hold down all the buttons. On Controller One, simultaneously press and hold Buttons L and R, Up-Away on the direc- tional pad, and press Il. The screen will van- ish, and a spaceship appears. Player One must press Il again to join in the game.

Ys BOOK | & 2 - TG16CD

Start with Extra Gold and Experience

To start the game with 99,999 experience points and 65,535 gold, enter the password

“Q2eb/bbbCFij/jihghgh/ghghg/hghghgh/gh ghghg/yQyQy/QyQyQyQ/yQyQzPz/PzA."

Blazing Lazers - TG16

Debug Mode

At the title screen, hold SELECT and toggle the direction pad Left and Right rapidly. You will know it worked when the screen shows only planets. Now press Button |, Button Il, then press Select 21 times. A tone will confirm the code.

Extra Lives and Bombs

When you get to the first boss, don't shoot him. If you can dodge enough bullets he will leave and reward you with 16 lives and 36 bombs!

Invincibility

If you suck, and are continually blazed, just enter this code:

While on the Debug Mode screen, hold the d- pad DOWN and LEFT. The system will restart and you'll be invincible.

Level Select

Enter Debug Mode, then choose any level between 00 and 09. To fight only the bosses,

classic codes

choose any level between 00 and OC, except 07, then hold SELECT and press RUN.

Tempest 2000 - Jaguar

Put down those Cliff's notes, no cheating on the Shakespeare quiz! Oh! Sorry, | forgot this was the game. | guess it’s OK to look at Gl's notes.

Cheat Mode

Before using the following codes you'll need to activate Cheat Mode. To do so, press

1+4+7+A atthe main menu.

Enable Rotary Controller =" To use a rotary controller, go to the í Game Option menu and press Pause on both controllers.

Invisible Web

Start any Tempest Plus game and hold Option until you get to the rainbow levels. The web will be invisible during the rainbow levels only.

Level Skip To skip to the next level, press Option while

playing.

Rotate Web

While selecting a web, you can change its rota- tion by pressing Up or Down to change the level and pressing Left or Right to change the rotation.

Warp Bonus Round To enable the Warp Bonus Round, press 6 while playing.

Defender - Atari 2600

Credits

Get to the 25th wave, and capture a humanoid. Fly to the 25th line of resolution (the height your ship starts from) and any remaining enemies will change to "BP", Bob Polaro.

Infinite Lives

Fry until the game starts (automatically) with only bombers on the screen. You get killed, but don’t lose lives.

Playing Tip

If a Baiter is chasing you, position yourself so it is above you, screech to a halt and it will “land” on you.

Pitfall - Atari 2600

Jumping Harry

Use the stock Atari joystick, climb to the top of a ladder, and pound straight down on the joystick (slap flat down like you're trying to “impale” your palm.) Harry will jump straight up...and fall back down. Nothing useful, just interesting.

Ninja Harry

Frying can sometimes produce “ninja” Harry, dressed in black. Pressing the button makes him drop from trees. There's only one screen however.

Konami also includes two characters to "the Alcarde spear. The characteristic haunting |

Hell. Although the graphics don't appear

Availability: Uncommon Replay Value: Moderately Low

Similar Games: Castlevania IV (SNES), Castlevania X (SNES), Castlevania Series (NES, GB), Strider (SG)

Created by: Konami

Access Tip: Last level using John Morris: Key: 0 = space, 1 = eagle, 2 = ae

3 = magic ball ~

Row 1) 20 0 0, Row 2) 310 1, Row3)21 03, Row4)1200

Overall: ; Although Bloodlines isn't the most enjoyable Castlevania game, Konami incorporates many unique ideas into this version. For example, the final stage's upside-down "m l l mb. room, and split-screen area, distorting your ERE e Rea NN fp cum character's position, are original and cool.

Leu $ SUME e

5 06 DRESU OS

choose from in Bloodlines: John Morris, a whip expert, and Eric Lacarde, a master with

music of Castlevania sets the atmosphere, while you return Dracula’s undead minions to =z af

‘spectacular, the dull colors suit the mood of Bloodlines well. The major problem with this version is its length. With only six stages - equal to about two hours - you're just getting started when the game ends. If you've never played Bloodlines, and love Konami's vampire series, definitely check this one ar.

Availability: Common Replay Value: High Similar Games: Mortal Kombat Series (GB, SG, SNES, PS, SS), Time Killers (SG), Way of the Warrior (3DO)

Created by: Midway

Access Tip: Double Fatality Time!!! At the Character Select screen, press Up, Up, Left, Up, Down + Select.

Overall:

Feeling a little bored with fantasy in your video games? Well, how about taking a retrospective trip with some of the coolest mortals? Hands down, MKII provides the best gameplay in the series. Unlike the other MKs, MKII has the most open-ended fighting interface; that is, players can create their own combos, instead of being restricted to a pre-pro£rammed combo system as in MKIII. Since the control in MKII is flawless, constructin combos is no problem. With 12 characters each programmed with two fatalities, stage fatalities, tons of special moves, and hidden characters, MKII not only offers deep gameplay for the expert, but hours of entertainment for the novice. Although the digitized characters and stages are grainy the cart's music and sound really demonstrate the SNES's capabilities. The weak computer Al is the only major problem with MKII; once you learn the basic fight pattern, the game offers no challenge, even on Very Hard. For fighting freaks, try playing MKIV after MKII, then you'll understand what we mean.

ANY QUESTIONS?

Dust and dirt can damage your game system. The result? Poor picture quality, fuzzy sound and slow or “buggy” game play. Cleaning your system and games regularly will maintain high quality gaming and ensure a longer product life. Players Edge cleaning kits will keep you and your system in the game.

j a

Game maintenance products available from Player's Edge: ->

Cleaning Kits for: NINTENDO? 64 e SUPER NINTENDO? e NINTENDO? « SEGA" GENESIS" e GAME BOY? e GAME GEAR" * MULTIMEDIA & GAME CDs

Available at FuncoLand

PLAvER'S O 1997 Player's Edge. Player's Edge is a trademark of InterAct Accessories, Inc. InterAct Accessories is a trademark of STD Manufacturing LTD. "ww = Wipeout, Wipeout XL and Psygnosis are trademarks of Psygnosis. © 1996 Psygnosis Ltd. Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, Nintendo and Game Boy Æ|

are trademarks of Nintendo of America, Inc. Sega Genesis and Game Gear are trademarks of Sega Enterprises Ltd.

ESS DESTRUCTION COCKY ATTITUDES LEAD T T

i

Sissi

"« KOLINSKY

Licensed to Midway Home Entertainment Inc. by Seta Corporation. € 1998 Seta Corporation. MIDWAY is à traden .. Midway Games Inc. CHOPPER ATTACK is a trademark of Midway Home Entertainment Inc. Nintendo, i the 3-D “N” logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. O1

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